New York: Social media giant Facebook is all set to alter its ‘News Feed’ and will going forward prioritise the placement of local news on it. The move means that one is likely to see stories from their local newspapers and television stations on their timeline.
“People consistently tell us they want to see more local news on Facebook,” The Verge quoted Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, as saying.
“Local news helps us understand the issues that matter in our communities and affect our lives,” Zuckerberg added.
By promoting local news stories, Facebook will benefit regional publishers that have struggled to reach audiences in the ‘News Feed’.
This move will also help reduce the spread of misinformation on pages that are designed to mimic local news stories.
The move is the latest in a series of significant changes to the ‘News Feed’, this year.
Earlier this month, the technology giant had said that it would begin prioritizing posts shared by friends and family over those shared by publishers. Soon after, the company added that it would begin taking into account as to how trusted the news source is, before determining its ranking.
The company will however, reduce the amount of news in the ‘News Feed’ from about five percent to four percent.
While the changes will currently be limited to United States, Facebook plans to introduce them globally soon.