Advanced Television

Murdoch: “Facebook should pay for news”

January 23, 2018

Rupert Murdoch has said that social media network Facebook should pay fees to publishers if it is committed to supporting accurate news.

Murdoch’s assertion comes as pressure mounts on Facebook to help deal with the spread of so called “fake news”.  Recently Facebook said it would survey its users and prioritise news sources they deemed “trustworthy”.

Murdoch, who own UK newspapers including The Times and the Sun, said the proposals were “inadequate”.  He said social media firms should pay publishers a fee in the same way that cable network operators pay for the channels they offer.

“The publishers are obviously enhancing the value and integrity of Facebook through their news and content, but are not being adequately rewarded for those services,” Murdoch said.  “Carriage payments would have a minor impact on Facebook’s profits, but a major impact on the prospects for publishers and journalists.”

Categories: Articles, Content, Social Media