Facebook promotes former NY Times exec, Alex Hardiman to help fight fake news

After receiving flak from all quarters for the fake news menace that reportedly changed the course of the US Presidential elections, Facebook is doing all it can to redeem itself of the curse. While the social networking giant is continuously adding new features to check on the news that goes viral on its platform, it has now made an important hire in the form of Alex Hardiman, ex-vice president of product for the New York Times to lead its news efforts on the product side.

Hardiman worked at The New York Times, most recently as vice president of news products, until joining Facebook last year.

The new role as head of news product includes promoting the Facebook Journalism Project, which is an effort by the tech company to help news organisations "build new storytelling formats, local news communities, monetization options, and more," Hardiman wrote on Facebook.

Hardiman will start her new role in June, and work in Facebook’s New York office under Fidji Simo, Facebook’s VP in charge of news and video. She will also work alongside former NBC anchor Campbell Brown's news partnerships team, which Facebook formed earlier this year.

Hardiman's appointment is yet another effort from Facebook wanting to show its commitment to media outlets after it faced sharp criticism for its role in spreading fake news during the U.S. presidential election.