'Always a straight shooter': How Campbell Brown is working to close the trust gap between publishers and Facebook

Facebook’s Campbell Brown, now vp of global news partnerships, has always made waves. In 2018, she told a room full of publishers that she’d be "holding your hands with your dying ­business like in a hospice.” These days, publishers and other industry leaders told Digiday that she is not, in practice, as threatening as those words might’ve seemed. "Publishers appreciate her bluntness because we're all so used to having ridiculous, happy talk" from platform executives, said The New York Times media columnist Ben Smith. Read more below.

• Campbell Brown did not cut her teeth in Silicon Valley like many of her Facebook counterparts. Her background in journalism is what gives the social platform a stronger hand when working with publishers.
• Verizon is rolling out seven new spots this weekend including five during the Oscars awards ceremony. One, in particular, is set to air throughout the weekend as part of that campaign.
• Companies are being asked, pressured and regulated to take a stand — or at least not stand back — on everything from data privacy to voting rights, diversity to sustainability. That has made responsible spending more important than ever.
• Lately Snap has been more like a digital department store, gobbling up startups that facilitate product try-ons and virtual showrooms.
• Food52's program for creators has drawn in $2 million from brands in seven months, and gives independent creators the opportunity to profit from the company's growth.
• The New York Times can take a stance against cookie-replacing IDs because of its successful subscription business, but the position could be risky for its advertising business.