Facebook Launches Dedicated News Tab in Limited US Test
Facebook is introducing a dedicated News tab in its main app, blending human curation with algorithmic suggestions to deliver personalized journalism.
Facebook is rolling out a dedicated News tab in a limited test within the United States, giving users a new way to access journalism directly alongside their main News Feed. The company develops this feature in consultation with publishers and bases it on survey feedback from over 100,000 users who want more control over the stories they see and explore a wider range of news interests.
The new section relies on a unique mix of human editors and algorithms to determine which stories appear. A team of journalists curates a "Today's Stories" section to highlight the biggest national headlines, while algorithms drive the majority of other story suggestions based on individual user activity and interests.
Users have the ability to hide articles, topics, and publishers they do not want to see, and they can browse dedicated categories like business, entertainment, health, science and technology, and sports. The tab also includes a hub for linked news subscriptions, but participating publishers must join Facebook's News Page Index and strictly adhere to guidelines that prohibit misinformation and hate speech.