Facebook, fake news and reputation: Why Adam Mosseri is right

Facebook’s Adam Mosseri blogs that it’s launching a campaign to educate its users about how to spot fake news in response to mounting pressure.

Incredulous critics are continuing to press for an algorithmic clampdown on fake news.

To be fair, Facebook is also taking other steps as Mosseri outlines in his post which states it’s committed to accuracy but can’t be the arbiter of truth.

Facebook’s stance presents both difficulty and opportunity for savvy brands and journalistic news outlets.

Consumers may see greater value in trusted sources of news, whether owned or paid-for, now the reality of fake news is beginning to bite.

Traditional media can reclaim their position of producers of quality fact-checked reporting with effective marketing if Facebook is to define itself as primarily a platform provider for a community rather than a publisher.

Brands need to occupy the space of being the premier trusted source of their own news for their stakeholders.

They need to be clear that there’s no alternative to effective reputation management which means investing in a proactive strategy which communicates values clearly.

Building trust among stakeholders is the surest way of future-proofing a brand, whether individual or corporate, against fake news. As ever the time to invest is before there’s a crisis which means reputational capital can be drawn on in the bad times.

But being trustworthy means authenticity: Facebook is being authentic with its stance of refusing to be the arbiter of truth – that’s for brands and trusted media outlets to do.

You can read the original Facebook post here

https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/04/working-to-stop-misinformation-and-false-news/

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