Facebook VP reportedly told employees to brace themselves for 'more bad headlines'
There might be more alarming Facebook headlines in the works — and the company is apparently steeling itself for that likelihood.
According to a post obtained by Axios, Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg told staffers Saturday that "we need to steel ourselves for more bad headlines in the coming days, I'm afraid." Clegg warned that the new coverage would likely "contain mischaracterizations of our research, our motives and where our priorities lie," and told employees to "listen and learn from criticism when it is fair, and push back strongly when it is not," per Axios. "But, above all else," he wrote, "we should keep our heads held high and do the work we came here to do."
The social network has been slammed by negative press, as former employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked damning internal company documents to both Congress and The Wall Street Journal, alleging the company knows and ignores the harm it causes, and chooses its financial bottom line "at all costs." Since then, Axios says, a group of 17 news outlets have come together to form the "Facebook Consortium" and report on those same leaked documents, now dubbed "The Facebook Papers." The Journal is not part of the consortium.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The group's organizers reportedly "aimed to amplify findings from the leaked documents by having many news organizations report on them simultaneously, creating a big splash," writes Axios, likely explaining this weekend's Facebook news dump. And unfortunately for CEO Mark Zuckerberg, sources said the public can expect "much more reporting based off the documents in the coming days and weeks."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Racist texts tell Black people in US to prepare for slavery
Speed Read Recipients in at least a dozen states have been told to prepare to 'pick cotton' on slave plantations
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Australia proposes social media ban before age 16
Speed Read Australia proposes social media ban before age 16
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FTC bans fake online product reviews
Speed Read The agency will enforce fines of up to $51,744 per violation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Amazon ending 'Just Walk Out' grocery checkout
Speed Read In its place, the company will let customers scan while they shop with Amazon Dash Cart
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published