I had to smile when I read that Facebook’s reducing news content in the newsfeed. Mark 
Zuckerberg wrote on their blog “our time is better spent bringing people closer together… public content… is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.”
In other words, pardon the interruption as we’ve tried to crack this news nut. NVM, JK. You can now go back to your selfies and vacation pics.
I don’t think it is the final word. If anything is constant with the feed it is constant change; and the flood of buzz, news and speculation that follow every tick (indeed, there were two more news-related announcements since).
But it is a good time to take stock; as Facebook has come full circle in less than two years; from when they were accused of liberal newsfeed bias in May 2016 to their machinations to make news safe, to Facebook’s “no mas” moment a couple of weeks ago.
Frankly, I’m exhausted as they took us on a wild ride. Just recall the headlines:
May 2016 – Facebook is accused of liberal bias in the feed
November 2016 – Zuck says “Facebook is a tech company, not a media company” and it is “a pretty crazy idea” that they influenced the election.
November 2016 – Zuck recalibrates, saying they are enlisting the community to fight fake news, and using stronger detection, easier reporting, and third party verification.
December 2016 – The company asks users to rate articles for misleading statements and announces partnerships with fact checkers.
December 2016 – Zuck says Facebook is ”not a traditional media company,” but “we feel responsible for how it is used.”
January 2017 – They hire Campbell Brown, former TV news anchor, to lead news partnerships.
January 2017 – The company reveals a Journalism Project; incentives and programs to encourage media partnerships.
February 2017 – Takes the fake news fight to Europe and partners with Google to combat influence in elections.
March 2017 – Facebook launches new AI tool to fight fake news
April 2017 – Declares total war on fake news
August 2017 – Their new plan to combat fake news employs algorithms working in tandem with fact checkers.
October 2017 – Facebook tries fighting fake news with publisher info button on links
October 2017 – They test the idea of a separate feed for actual news; then tell publishers to relax.
January 2018 – Facebook will now deemphasize publisher content
January 2018 – Facebook wants you to rank news sources based on how much you trust them
January 2018 – Facebook will put more local news in the news feed
Look, I get it, Facebook is a business. They can do what they want. And I know that this news stuff is hard. How can you possibly select stories that are proven to be true and free of bias? It gets to thorny questions about news – how to even define what it is, vs. opinion, hype, trivial info and outright B.S. Many others are struggling with the challenge, and there doesn’t seem to be a solution in sight.
But I think it is sad as their move implies that news is not so important or worth pursuing.
When you are a destination where 2B people around the world spend time and get info, it’s an awesome responsibility. My advice to Facebook is that moving fast and breaking things just may not be the best way. Slow down. Take a few breaths. Don’t take away news or stop trying to tame it because it is hard.
And to brands and publishers who get freaked out by every newsfeed tweak: you need to spread your bets and develop other sources of traffic (see Josh Constine’s piece in TechCrunch). Build your own audience. Craft content and write news that appeal to people, not algorithms.
