Facebook’s parent company, Meta has announced that it would be discontinuing the Facebook News feature in the United States and Australia in early April. The decision comes as part of the company’s broader efforts to de-emphasize news and political content on its platform.
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Background
Facebook News was introduced in 2019 as a curated tab dedicated to showcasing headlines from various national and international news organizations, as well as smaller, local publications. The aim was to provide users with easy access to a wide range of news content directly within the Facebook platform.
What will change
With the imminent closure of Facebook News, users in the US and Australia will no longer have access to this dedicated news tab. However, Meta assures users that they will still be able to view links to news articles. News organizations will retain the ability to post and promote their stories and websites on Facebook just like any other person or organization.
Rationale of Decision
Meta’s decision to shut down the Facebook News feature is in line with a broader strategy to address concerns related to misinformation and political polarization on its platforms. Over the past few years, Facebook has faced significant criticism for its handling of such content and its potential impact on social discourse.
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User Control
Meta spokesperson, Dani Lever, outlines most of the modifications addressed to system function are recommendations and not personal preference. IT users will be the sole authority in terms of the content they see, although this mostly applies to political and news-related posts. The lever serves to illustrate the fact that these options are Meta’s concerted effort to conform to the constant feedback and input from its users.
