Op-ed: Zuckerberg and Facebook must defend the truth

New York Times media columnist Jim Rutenberg believes that Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has an obligation to crack down on the fake news that runs rampant on the site, and may have contributed to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

Rutenberg wrote:

With a mainstream news media that works hard to separate fact from fiction under economic and political threat, Facebook — which has contributed to that economic threat by gobbling up so much of the online advertising market — is going to have a special responsibility to do its part.

Just imagine what things will look like if the unsavory elements that tore through the 2016 election — false narratives, fake news and aggressive efforts to delegitimize traditional journalism — come back into play as Donald J. Trump presses to enact his agenda.

If the past week provided any indication of where politics are going, the next four years are going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort to keep the national conversation honest.

To hear his entire discussion with Kerri, use the audio player above.