Pot-KettleFilter: Facebook vs. Google
May 12, 2011 9:55 AM   Subscribe

USA Today recently revealed that a PR firm has been out trying to spread a smear campaign against Google. The dastardly folks behind it? Facebook, of course. [Via.]
posted by jabberjaw (6 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: ZUCKERPUNCH -- cortex



 
Bigger news story: USA Today does some real reporting!
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:56 AM on May 12, 2011 [3 favorites]


Unpreviously.
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:00 AM on May 12, 2011 [2 favorites]


Confronted with evidence, a Facebook spokesman last night confirmed that Facebook hired Burson, citing two reasons: First, because it believes Google is doing some things in social networking that raise privacy concerns;

Comedy gold.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:01 AM on May 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


First is not always best!

(sorry, jj, flagging this post instead of zarq's!)
posted by Eideteker at 10:02 AM on May 12, 2011


(Sorry, jabber, zarq's post is a bit larger. Fuller. But I'm sure you have a lovely personality.)
posted by maryr at 10:02 AM on May 12, 2011


No, no. This post is perfectly fine and should stay. I've flagged mine for deletion. I'll post my content over here. No harm done.

Here's some background on the incident:

Blogger Chris Soghoian (who was arrested back in 2006 for creating a website that generated fake Northwest Airlines boarding passes, then hired by the FTC for a little while,) was approached by former National Journal Hotline journalist John Mercurio, who now works for Burson-Marsteller. Mercurio asked Soghoian to write a negative story about Google's "Social Circle" service. In reply, Soghoian asked Mercurio which client was paying B-M. Mercurio wouldn't say, so Soghoian published their email exchange online.

USA Today reports that the other Burson-Marsteller PR rep was former CNBC Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Jim Goldman

Per Sourcewatch, Burson-Marsteller is the world's fifth largest PR company.

Additional coverage:
* PC Magazine: Facebook Hired PR Firm to Run Smear Campaign Against Google
* AdWeek: Facebook Admits It Hired PR Firm to Smear Google.
* Business Insider: BUSTED: It Was FACEBOOK That Hired A Former CNBC Reporter To Spread Lies About Google
* Mashable: EXPOSED: Facebook’s Plan To Plant Anti-Google Stories in the Press
* Fast Company: Facebook-Google Privacy PR Smear Is A Campaign In An Epic, Escalating War
posted by zarq at 10:04 AM on May 12, 2011 [1 favorite]


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