Facebook is paying a British newspaper to run a series of positive stories about it, Business Insider is reporting.
The Daily Telegraph is publishing stories defending Facebook on subjects dealing with issues like hate speech and cyber-bullying, according to Business Insider.
The stories are part of what is known as sponsored native content, in which companies pay media organizations to produce articles that appear similar to regular news stories. The newspaper’s website clearly marks the series of stories as “advertisement for Facebook.”
“Here, we take a closer look at new challenges raised by the internet like fake news and data privacy – and how social media is tackling these challenges” the introduction to the series said.
Separately, each of the stories is marked: “Brought to you by Facebook.”
"This is a part of our larger marketing efforts in the UK with the goal of educating and driving awareness of our local investments, initiatives, and partnerships here in the UK that have a positive impact on people's lives," Facebook spokesperson Vicky Gomes said.
"As part of this campaign, we've partnered with the Telegraph and there will be some profiles of London-based employees working on some of the toughest issues to keep our platform safe, as well as articles to educate people on topics like how to spot fake news and how to adjust their privacy settings."
Business Insider noted Facebook’s use of the format is an indication of the company’s attempt to improve its image after a series of damaging scandals.