This article was published on May 13, 2015

Here’s how people are reacting to Facebook hosting news articles


Here’s how people are reacting to Facebook hosting news articles

Facebook’s “Instant Articles” where the company will host content from news companies including Buzzfeed, National Geographic, New York Times.

Many inside and outside the media weighed in online today, and there are varying reactions to the news, extending from fear to excitement.

Fear of the juggernaut

Right now, many are sceptical that the deal appears one-sided, in favor of Facebook, who holds all the power in the relationship.

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Recode wrote today that “it’s hard to imagine any publisher passing on the chance” but “all they have to do is hope Facebook continues to use its enormous power to help, not hurt them. And that it doesn’t change the rules someday.”

Meanwhile, The Verge says the move “feels inevitable” and that publishers, like its parent Vox, may put themselves at a huge disadvantage by ignoring or avoiding the option if it becomes a standard way to publish.

An experiment in the future of news

Both Buzzfeed and the New York Times who is participating in the trial see it as an “experiment” that they are approaching with cautioned excitement. Some individual journalists at those publications participating in the trial, as well as those outside the industry, see it as a natural evolution of news.

https://twitter.com/iankar_/status/598340269625466882

Others think it ultimately won’t mean much, or doesn’t actually change the landscape that already exists.

There are some who are interested in the prospect of a fast-loading mobile-first platform for news, regardless of what power Facebook has.

Changing landscape

One possibility the platform offers is changing the way success is measured by publishers and advertisers. Instead of simply measuring pageviews on their own site, they may be able to tout the impressions across platforms.

One thing’s for certain: nobody knows how Facebook’s Instant Articles program is going to pan out, but everyone’s eagerly watching and waiting for the results.

Read Next: Facebook launches Instant Articles for iPhone: Native content from BuzzFeed, the BBC and more

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