Statement: Facebook’s Exemption of News Organizations from Its Political Ad Policy
We are very pleased to learn of Facebook’s announcement that news organizations will be exempt from policies related to advertising of political figures, political parties, elections, and past referenda that are the subject of national debate in the UK. We are also pleased to learn that this policy will be extended to the U.S. in the first half of next year.
This move recognizes the role of journalism as the “fourth estate” of civic society. Globally, news publishers are in the business of reporting on news and events around the world to support and maintain an informed citizenry. They are not political advocacy organizations and should not be treated as such.
We appreciate Facebook’s openness to our industry’s concerns leading up to today’s announcement and we look forward to working with them to better shape the criteria for defining a news organization.
David Chavern is former President & CEO of the News/Media Alliance. Chavern has 30 years of experience in executive strategic and operational roles. Prior to the Alliance, he completed a decade-long tenure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
