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Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Media

With fake news dominating industry conversation, Facebook seeks head of news partnerships

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By Kyle O'Brien, Creative Works Editor

December 12, 2016 | 2 min read

Facebook has had a rocky relationship with the media, which is why the social media giant is seeking a head of news partnerships.

The company recently posted a job listing on its corporate site, seeking an “experienced news executive to lead Global News Partnerships.” The post will be the leading representative with news organizations worldwide. Responsibilities include managing relationships with news organizations, developing strategies and programs that foster greater collaboration and alignment between the company and news organizations, and soliciting and incorporating feedback from news organizations on product development and prioritization, among other tasks.

The posting comes at a time when Facebook has been accused of bias in its news feeds and spreading fake news, which was especially rough during the recent US election. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the company is taking efforts to combat the spread of fake news, and this hiring will certainly be a step in the right direction for the social network.

Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg both said they didn’t think that Facebook and other social media’s spread of fake news helped Donald Trump win the election, according to a story on the Wrap.

“There have been claims that it swayed the election, and we don’t think it swayed the election,” Sandberg said in an interview on the Today show. “But we take that responsibility really seriously. And we’re looking at things, like working with third parties, helping to label false news, doing the things we can do to make it clearer what’s a hoax on Facebook.”

The fact that Facebook is looking for the new head of news partnerships to have at least 20 years experience and “a strong track-record and understanding across the business” means the company is looking for someone who understands both traditional and social media, and someone who can address the ethics of news from a traditional perspective.

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Media

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