Facebook News Feed to Prioritise Local News

By Reuters | Updated: 30 January 2018 09:57 IST

Highlights

Facebook will show more stories from local news sources, Zuckerberg said
Update will be first rolled out in the United States and expand later
Facebook has been making several changes to its website, after criticism

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday the social media website would focus on promoting local news in its latest update.

"Starting today, we're going to show more stories from news sources in your local town or city," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. "If you follow a local publisher or if someone shares a local story, it may show up higher in News Feed."

The update will be first rolled out in the United States and expanded to more countries later this year, Zuckerberg said.

The company has been making a series of changes to its website, following criticism that its algorithms may have prioritised misleading news and misinformation in people's feeds, influencing the 2016 American presidential election as well as political discourse in other countries.

The company recently adjusted its centrepiece News Feed to prioritise what friends and family share, while reducing the amount of non-advertising content from publishers and brands.

The move had worried investors, who feared that the changes would lead people to spend less time on Facebook.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, News Feed, Social, Mark Zuckerberg

Monster Hunter World PS4 Pro vs Xbox One X: Which Version Should You Buy?

Facebook News Feed to Prioritise Local News

Related Stories