This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Facebook has launched a new initiative to support quality journalism, introducing a dedicated space for high-quality news within the Facebook app.
Facebook News will be curated by a team of diverse and seasoned journalists, who will select the top stories for the feature. Below the curated section, users will find a wider selection of stories that are personalized algorithmically.
Each story will have clear branding and provenance from the news outlets that published them, allowing users to easily identify the source of the content. This is a key request from publishers, who have emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in the news industry.
Facebook has also introduced tools to help publishers increase their subscribers by driving traffic from Facebook to their websites. Publishers will be able to decide when a user sees a paywall, and subscription payments will take place directly on the publisher's website.
Facebook will not take a cut of the subscription revenue, allowing publishers to retain as much of the revenue as possible to fund quality journalism. This model establishes a long-term financial partnership between publishers and Facebook, providing a stable source of income for the news industry.
Facebook has already secured multiyear partnerships with several major publishers, including ABC News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. The company aims to grow the feature over time, listening to the ideas and concerns of news organizations around the world.
Facebook has also set strict standards for publishers to be eligible to appear in Facebook News, including a commitment to fact-checking and the removal of misinformation. This is a key step in the company's efforts to combat misinformation and promote high-quality journalism.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of supporting quality journalism in a statement. 'I believe deeply in the social good that journalism provides,' he said. 'Today, it's more important than ever: We need the news to scrutinize the powerful, reliably document major events and uncover new truths.'
