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Context, for those who are curious, follows:

Dear Facebook, do not f*ck further with my newsfeed.

“The Facebook explore tab killed 66% of our traffic. Just destroyed it … years of really hard work were just swept away. It has been catastrophic, and I am very, very worried.” ~ another site 

Facebook’s algorithm changes is killing Elephant and every other site out there, right now. (read my explanation in more detail at bottom, if so inspired)

Our readership has already dropped by 85%, and now Facebook says they’ll hide all news in a separate feed. Keep us alive: sign up free at elephantjournal.com/best

If you don’t value Elephant, then enjoy the free articles, really, that’s great! But we don’t ask you to work for free.

Facebook’s gameplan: hide all journalism in separate feed.

Effect: citizens everywhere stop (seeing and) reading journalism, mostly—but a few seek it out, and subscribe so their favorite publications stay in their life absent Facebook notifications.

Effect: 75% reduction in readers, ad revenue, journalism lays off 50% of staff, but gains slightly more subscribers, and use of Facebook plummets as folks get sick of hearing one sentence updates from one another, killing FB ad revenue.

Effect: Facebook once again prioritizes and protects journalism, as it did up to two years ago.

This should happen right after the next election, enabling President Trump to win again with the help of Bernie fans (of which I am one) and other idealists (which I am not not) who would rather protest vote, or not vote, than vote for a moderate candidate who believes in climate change and not grabbing women.

Solution: publications, large and small, starting now, but invest in their own platforms, creating community not just one-time readers. Elephant has been doing this for two years, and we call ours the Ecosystem. Create your own networks. In addition, AP, Reuters, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Wash Post, every paper in the US and world, Economist, Atlantic, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Elephant, etc etc.—all band together and create a non-profit platform for all publications that practice journalism, creative writing, humor—anything but fake news and overly partisan reporting unless labeled opinion—and readers hear about and flock to this vast platform. A board of journalists and writers guide editorial decisions and it’s free, or affordable, to participate. The mission is not money, the mission is, as Jefferson said, to offer education on facts that we can all agree on, and argue about civilly.

“Without a well-educated citizenry, a democracy can not function.”

~

Some of my comments in reply to questions I’ve been asked about Facebook, recently: