Feb 21, 2017

Hot in Silicon Valley: Zuck's thank you to local news

Kia Kokalitcheva

In a Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg says it's "a good time to say thank you to all the journalists around the world," and that while he may not always agree with what they publish, "that's how democracy is supposed to work."

Why it matters: While Zuckerberg's comments are an obvious jab at Donald Trump's disdain for the press, they're also ironic given his company's massive impact on the media industry. Though Facebook refuses to call itself a "media company," it has not only drawn a huge portion of digital ad spend, but also become one of the main sources of news for its users. Following the recent U.S. election, it was left to grapple with its role in helping disseminate "fake news" articles.

Samsung's brand reputation takes a big hit: The Korean electronics manufacturer came in number 49 in this year's Reputation Quotient Ratings from Harris Poll, down from being at number seven last year. The massive fall in ranking is undoubtedly due to the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco, which forced the company to recall all devices.

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 803,650 — Total deaths: 39,033 — Total recoveries: 172,772.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 164,785 — Total deaths: 3,173— Total recoveries: 5,995.
  3. Public health updates: FDA authorizes two-minute test kit to detect coronavirus — A state-by-state look at when the outbreak will peak.
  4. Trump latest: Senior administration officials discuss why the president backed off his planned Easter reopening date.
  5. Federal government latest: NIAID director Anthony Fauci said the White House coronavirus task force will hold an "active discussion" about broadening the use of medical masks to protect against coronavirus.
  6. Sports update: NCAA spring-sport athletes will get an extra season of eligibility due to their canceled seasons from the coronavirus outbreak.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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