Two weeks after the New York Times revealed Facebook’s controversial work with Republican opposition research firm Definers Public Affairs, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has changed her story in significant ways. The latest revelation: Sandberg herself directed Facebook’s communications team to probe the financial ties of George Soros, left-leaning billionaire and frequent political target of the […]
View More Sheryl Sandberg knew more of Facebook’s work with Definers than she let onCategory: Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg asked Facebook staff to research George Soros: report
Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has been accused of being directly involved in the company’s (once) covert investigation into billionaire George Soros.
As reported by the New York Times, Sandberg allegedly asked communications staf…
Facebook admits hiring PR firm to attack billionaire George Soros
Facebook is carefully walking back statements it made about hiring a Republican opposition-research group to investigate billionaire George Soros.
In a blog post published late Wednesday, right before many Americans left work to begin the Thanksgivin…
Facebook’s Definers fall guy was already on his way out
How nice and tidy.
Facebook’s head of public policy, Elliot Schrage, sent a memo to Facebook employees in which he took the blame for hiring public policy agency Definers. Conveniently enough, this happened after he had already announced he was plann…
Internal Facebook memo sees outgoing VP of comms Schrage take blame for hiring Definers
TechCrunch has obtained an internal memo published by Facebook’s outgoing head of public policy Elliot Schrage in which he blames himself for hiring PR firm Definers. He admits to having the company push negative narratives about competitors, but says Facebook did not ask or pay Definers to publish fake news. COO Sheryl Sandberg left a […]
View More Internal Facebook memo sees outgoing VP of comms Schrage take blame for hiring DefinersFacebook’s former security chief stands up for the social network, calls for change
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Facebook’s former chief security officer is defending the social network amid the fallout from the New York Times’ bombshell report on the company this past week.
Alex Stamos, who was the company’s CSO from 2015 up until the summer of 2018, wrote a piece published in the Washington Post on Saturday responding to the New York Times report. Stamos attempted to dispel the Times’ report claiming that Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, fearing blowback, delayed taking action following his team’s discovery of Russian interference in the 2016 election via a misinformation campaign on the platform. Read more…
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View More Facebook’s former security chief stands up for the social network, calls for changeSheryl Sandberg denies slowing and downplaying Russia investigation
The righteous shock continues.
Sheryl Sandberg broke her silence Thursday evening about the New York Times’ report on Facebook executives’ actions dealing with Russian manipulation, hate speech, and other crises on the platform. The report specifical…
Zuckerberg denies knowledge of Facebook’s work with GOP opposition research firm
Today in call with reporters preceded by a frantic if fairly uneventful distraction-pushing media blitz, Facebook responded to a damning New York Times story published yesterday that cited interviews with more than 50 sources privy to Facebook’s decision making. The call kicked off with the operator’s suggestion that Facebook is “happy to take a couple […]
View More Zuckerberg denies knowledge of Facebook’s work with GOP opposition research firmFacebook cuts ties with political consulting firm Definers
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They smoked, but did not inhale.
Facebook has decided to stop working with the consulting firm Definers, the company wrote in a statement published Thursday. It also denied that Facebook ever contracted Definers to do opposition research-style work on its behalf. The action comes in the wake of a sweeping New York Times article published Wednesday that included reports that Definers sought to bolster Facebook’s image by encouraging the publication of negative content about its competitors and critics.
“Lastly we wanted to address the issue of Definers, who we ended our contract with last night,” Facebook wrote. “The New York Times is wrong to suggest that we ever asked Definers to pay for or write articles on Facebook’s behalf – or to spread misinformation.” Read more…
More about Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Tech, and Social Media Companies
Facebook’s weapon amid chaos and controversy: misdirection
The New York Times’ bombshell report into the past three years at Facebook paint a grotesque picture of the company’s attempts to navigate a string of high profile controversies by using unsavory, unethical and dark PR tactics. The Times’ report, citing more than 50 sources, accuses the company of: employing a Republican opposition research firm […]
View More Facebook’s weapon amid chaos and controversy: misdirectionFacebook under pressure over Soros smear tactics
Facebook is facing calls to conduct an external investigation into its own lobbying and PR activities by an aide to billionaire George Soros. BuzzFeed reports that Michael Vachon, an advisor to the chairman at Soros Fund Management, made the call in a letter to friends and colleagues. The call follows an explosive investigation, published yesterday […]
View More Facebook under pressure over Soros smear tacticsFacebook held back on Trump and Russia so Republicans wouldn’t get angry
Community first, eh?
A New York Times report published Wednesday is full of bombshells about how Facebook has handled (and mishandled) its last two years of turmoil. Amidst allegations of pettiness and tales of public relations coups, the report reve…