When Social Media Giants Clash: Mark Zuckerberg's News Feud
Mark Zuckerberg, the mastermind behind the social media giant Facebook, found himself knee-deep in discussions in 2017 and early 2018 regarding the trustworthiness and reliability of news on the platform. In a memo from 2017, he emphasized Facebook’s commitment to enhancing itself as a platform with a responsibility to its users and the news industry. However, it seems that Zuckerberg’s stance on news media took a drastic turn not long after engaging in talks centered around the decision of whether to “build it or buy it.”
It’s reported that Zuckerberg ultimately concluded that the news media industry posed more trouble than it was worth for him. Consequently, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, made the bold move to completely eliminate Facebook’s dedicated News tab in various countries, including the US, UK, and Australia. This decision effectively meant that news content would no longer be deliberately surfaced, even if a user actively searched for it. The abrupt shift in direction left many within the company in shock, with one former high-level employee expressing, “Everything the news team built was killed.”
The distancing of Meta from the news industry became evident in 2022 when the company opted to rename one of its flagship products, the News Feed, simply as Feed. This move signified a significant pivot away from Facebook’s historical roots in news dissemination. It appears that Zuckerberg had already begun to sour on Facebook’s relationship with the news industry by the end of 2019. Reports suggest that during a pivotal 2 a.m. call involving key executives, including Joel Kaplan and Campbell Brown, it was decided that Facebook would permanently shut off news distribution in Australia.
The fallout of this decision was felt not just in Australia but globally, as Meta announced that it would refrain from entering into new commercial agreements for traditional news content in certain countries and would cease offering dedicated products for news publishers. Existing deals with publishers in countries like the US and UK, including those involving major players like News Corp., had already lapsed. Even efforts such as the News Accelerator Program, which saw Facebook allocating substantial funds to news organizations, failed to mend the strained relationships.
As the dust settled on Meta’s retreat from the news landscape, internal sentiments among executives varied. While some were in alignment with Zuckerberg’s stance on supporting news content, others harbored conflicting views. The seismic shift in Facebook’s approach to news underscores the complexities of balancing the dissemination of credible information while navigating the turbulent waters of the media landscape. Ultimately, Meta’s decision to distance itself from the news industry signifies a paradigm shift in the company’s priorities and strategic direction.
