Perhaps one of the most timely panels during day one of SXSW was the Facebook and Publishers: The Evolution Of News panel. Speakers included Sarah Fischer of Axios, Steve Rosenbaum of Magnify Media, Alex Hardiman of Facebook, and Brian Stelter of CNN.
Hardiman who is the head of news products at Facebook discussed the many ways this social platform is attempting to rectify its perpetuation of “fake news” and rekindle its relationship with publishers. She said her team is excited to have a mission around news that is not only internal but external facing as well.
Host of “Reliable Sources,” on CNN/U.S and the senior media correspondent for CNN Worldwide, Stelter wasn’t shy about voicing his understandable frustrations with Facebook. He does, however, hope that Facebook is able to find new ways to reinforce quality news while also supporting news publications.
When asked about how Facebook and publishers should work together in an ideal world, this is what Stelter had to say.