{"id":23008,"date":"2020-06-10T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icrowdnewswire.com\/2020\/06\/10\/facebooks-revamped-news-section-launches-in-the-us-with-a-focus-on-local-sources\/"},"modified":"2020-06-10T14:46:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T14:46:00","slug":"facebooks-revamped-news-section-launches-in-the-us-with-a-focus-on-local-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2020\/06\/10\/facebooks-revamped-news-section-launches-in-the-us-with-a-focus-on-local-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook\u2019s revamped news section launches in the US with a focus on local sources"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span>Image: Facebook<\/small><\/p>\n

Facebook is launching its revamped news tab in the US today, reports TechCrunch<\/em>, and the launch will include a dedicated local news section among other topics, including a George Floyd-specific section as of Tuesday. The tab can only be found on mobile right now only by tapping the hamburger menu, selecting “see more,” and sifting through a handful of other sections. It was first tested starting last October, and Facebook said at the time it would be paying participating publishers.<\/p>\n

In an online FAQ detailing the structure of the new Facebook News, the company outlines its editorial strategy, including which publishers it decides to promote and what metrics it uses to pick one story from one outlet over another. To do so, the company is employing a human team and vetting sources through a new effort called the News Page Index. “The team is transparent about the following guidelines and will make curatorial choices independently, not at the direction of Facebook, publishers or advertisers,” the FAQ explains. “They will apply the same guidelines and criteria to our coverage about Facebook as we would to any other company or industry.”<\/p>\n

Facebook says to qualify as one of its partnered publishers, those publishers need to have a big enough audience and also pass the company’s integrity standards, although the FAQ does not make clear where the line between objectionable and passable content is. Facebook does say it will rely on its existing third-party fact-checkers, the same ones who now help it check COVID-19 content and other sensitive subject areas, and the same moderation tools it uses to monitor clickbait, sensationalist content, and copyright-infringing material.<\/p>\n

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