In its latest move to promote journalism and shrug off its reputation as a platform for misinformation, Facebook on Friday launched its dedicated “news tab” with professionally produced content.
Tested with some users in the US, the tab will be separate from a user’s normal feed.
“It will include articles from partner news organizations, making a clear distinction between journalism and stories shared by users from a wide range of sources,” Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told an audience in New York.
“This is going to be the first time ever there will be a dedicated space on the Facebook app that is focused on high-quality journalism,” Zuckerberg added.
“The mix of stories in Facebook News will be determined by algorithmic personalization based on a user’s preferences and data, with journalists choosing some of the stories,” he added.
He reiterated that Facebook users, from now on, will have more control over the stories they see.
“Their ability to explore a wider range of their news interests directly within the Facebook app will be wider,” Zuckerberg added