Facebook wants us to register as journalists: 5 reasons why that’s a bad idea

For better and for worse, my everyday work is inextricably tied to the Facebook platforms. Zuckerberg’s creation and its offshoots simply dominate so much internet time that we are forced to play in his sandbox.

But in my opinion, Facebook’s latest announcement is a bridge too far.

As of Tuesday, they’re offering to let working journalists verify their employment and “register as a journalist.”

Here are 5 reasons I won’t be participating:

1. For the same reason I just rejected a friend request from an industrious freelance photographer: I want to keep my private page, with pictures of my family, somewhat shielded from my professional work.
2. To register, you must work for an organization that controls a news page and have a professional email address from that organization. But more than half of the people who work out of my office fit that requirement without being journalists.
3. Journalists move around a lot, especially early in their careers, so why would we ever want to tie our personal accounts to our employment? They don’t seem to provide any accounting of what would happen if one leaves the industry or moves to another publisher. Zuckerberg’s blue minions may not know this, but many news personalities already face a possible legal fight when moving their professional pages from one employer to another.
4. They’re offering “better account protections” to those who register, without providing details on what that means. Does that mean the rest of the world gets less security protection? Furthermore, they say it starts with protection from online abuse, but every day I see Facebook is incapable of offering that kind of protection to my staff on their professional pages.
5. The journalists who deserve respect and protection for their work are worthy because they are precisely what Facebook is not: accountable to society, civic-minded and inquisitive about everything that crosses our desk.

Now I do applaud the idea behind their offer, and there may be true benefits in the future. It’s also equally likely, as with all things Facebook tests, that this will fizzle out for lack of focus or participation.

For now, the glossy announcement raises in me more questions and concerns than interest in participating.

If you’re reading Facebook’s announcement today, I suggest skipping to the footnotes and reading the articles linked there instead.