Accessibility links

Breaking News

Facebook Should Pay 'Trusted' News Publishers Carriage Fee: Murdoch


FILE: The Facebook application is seen on a phone screen.
FILE: The Facebook application is seen on a phone screen.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch on Monday called on Facebook to pay "trusted" news publishers a carriage fee, similar to the model used by cable companies, amid efforts by the social media company to fight misinformation on its platform.

"Facebook and Google have popularized scurrilous news sources through algorithms that are profitable for these platforms but inherently unreliable," Murdoch, who controls the Wall Street Journal as executive chairman of News Corp., said in a statement.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday his company would fight misinformation and sensationalism on its platform by using member surveys to identify "trustworthy" outlets.

"There has been much discussion about subscription models but I have yet to see a proposal that truly recognizes the investment in and the social value of professional journalism," Murdoch said.

The quality of news on Facebook has been called into question after alleged Russian operatives and spammers spread false reports on the site, including during the 2016 U.S. election campaign.

Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

  • 16x9 Image

    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

XS
SM
MD
LG