Rupert Murdoch calls on Facebook to pay ‘trusted’ publishers

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 popularised scurrilous news sources through algorithms that are profitable for these platforms but inherently unreliable," said Mr Murdoch, who controls the Wall Street Journal as executive chairman of News Corp.

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 recognises the investment in and the social value of professional journalism,” Murdoch said.

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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 US election campaign.

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