The UK launch of Facebook News is the first of this new platform addition outside of the U.S. It went live at the end of January. News is a new tab in Facebook; it is a combination of personalised news stories and major news developments. The personalised stories will be shown using Facebook’s algorithm based on the user’s interests.
Facebook users will be able to filter their news by different categories e.g. Entertainment, Science & Tech and Business. Each article will give the user the option to save or share it and also to hide any articles that do not appeal.
A Facebook spokesperson said that this new product will push original journalism to a new audience.
Facebook has said that it will be paying publishers for the news content that is not already available to users on the platform. Publishers will also get new opportunities for advertising and subscriptions.
When the announcement of the UK launch of Facebook News was made in November 2020, multiple British publishers were quick to get on board. Titles such as The Independent, The Economist, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Financial Times are already signed up.
This new Facebook feature is a great opportunity to bring journalism to a new and younger audience. It also provides an outlet for local news to reach a wider audience.
