Executives also distributed a talking points list, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, so workers would know what to say if their friends and family asked them about “recent events.” That list included a denial that Facebook puts profit and growth ahead of personal safety and how the company has demanded regulations from the government.

During Mr. Zuckerberg’s regular question-and-answer session with employees, which took place on Thursday, he defended Facebook and challenged Ms. Haugen’s characteristics, according to the recording of the meeting.

“We care deeply about issues such as safety, well-being and mental health,” he said at one point. “So when you see press coverage that just twists our work and takes it out of context and then uses it to tell false stories about our motives, it’s really difficult and disheartening to see that.”

Between questions about a crippling Facebook outage on Monday, when all of the company’s applications became inaccessible around the world for more than five hours, and issues with job certification for foreign employees, Mr. Zuckerberg also said argues that Facebook spent significantly more on search and security than the bigger ones. companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft.

He assured employees that Facebook would end up doing for the best.

“The road to the long term is not easy, is it? It’s not like that, like that straight line, ”Zuckerberg said. “You know, sometimes you get beaten up. “

Outside the meeting, employees had furious debates over Ms Haugen and her demands. Some have argued that Facebook should invite him to speak at a company-wide meeting, according to posts viewed by The Times. One said her testimony was a long overdue “wake-up call” to Facebook.

But other workers questioned Ms Haugen’s motives, background and credentials. In an internal message, an employee said Ms Haugen was “incapable”. Some said she lacked technical knowledge.