Mark Zuckerberg’s manifesto on the future of Facebook emphasizes the importance of a ‘strong news industry’

You might have heard: Mark Zuckerberg published a letter on the future of Facebook, addressing topics such as artificial intelligence, online safety, “fake news,” and the polarization of society (Facebook)

But did you know: “A strong news industry is also critical to building an informed community,” Zuckerberg writes in his letter. “Giving people a voice is not enough without having people dedicated to uncovering new information and analyzing it. There is more we must do to support the news industry to make sure this vital social function is sustainable — from growing local news, to developing formats best suited to mobile devices, to improving the range of business models news organizations rely on.”

+ Zuckerberg tried to distance Facebook as the the cause of fake news, writing “I want to emphasize that the vast majority of conversations on Facebook are social, not ideological,” to which Kara Swisher responds: “In acknowledging that Facebook has a big role to play in fixing the problem, he is also tacitly admitting it has been part of the problem.” (Recode)