Source: Zuckerberg's Newark Donation Timing Is a Coincidence

Facebook is pushing back against the notion that Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million donation to Newark's public school system is timed to blunt the impact of a new film that critics say portrays the 26-year-old billionaire in a negative light.

"It is not lost on us that people would view the timing as too coincidental," a person close to the situation told DailyFinance on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. "But to claim that this is in any way a PR move is at the very least uninformed."

In fact, the person said, the timing of the donation is actually very bad for Zuckerberg, because it leaves him open to charges that he is trying to combat the negative image presented by The Social Network, the movie about Facebook's origins that premieres tomorrow night.

"The fact of the matter is, the timing was bad for Mark, but it was the best timing for the other parties involved," the person said, referring to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker. "Rather than lose an opportunity to seize the momentum on this topic, everyone thought it would be best to move this forward despite the risks to Mark."