Meta's Move To Scale Back News And Politics Content Sparks Debate On Handling Misinformation
Meta , the parent company of Facebook , has revealed plans to discontinue its Facebook News feature in the United States and Australia, following its previous shutdown in the UK, France, and Germany last year. Launched in 2019, the News tab served as a curated source of headlines from various national and international news organisations, alongside smaller, local publications.
According to Meta, although the News tab will be removed, users will still retain the ability to view news articles through shared links. Additionally, news organisations will continue to have the option to post and promote their stories and websites on Facebook, similar to any other individual or entity.
This decision aligns with Meta's broader strategy to minimise the presence of news and political content on its platforms , a move that comes amidst ongoing criticism regarding its handling of misinformation and potential contribution to political polarisation.
“This change does not impact posts from accounts people choose to follow; it impacts what the system recommends, and people can control if they want more,” said Dani Lever, a Meta spokesperson. “This announcement expands on years of work on how we approach and treat political content based on what people have told us they wanted.”
Meta has assured that the discontinuation of the News tab will not affect its fact-checking network or its ongoing efforts to combat misinformation. However, the decision raises questions about the future of news consumption on Facebook and underscores the platform's evolving approach to content moderation and recommendation algorithms.
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According to Meta, although the News tab will be removed, users will still retain the ability to view news articles through shared links. Additionally, news organisations will continue to have the option to post and promote their stories and websites on Facebook, similar to any other individual or entity.
This decision aligns with Meta's broader strategy to minimise the presence of news and political content on its platforms , a move that comes amidst ongoing criticism regarding its handling of misinformation and potential contribution to political polarisation.
“This change does not impact posts from accounts people choose to follow; it impacts what the system recommends, and people can control if they want more,” said Dani Lever, a Meta spokesperson. “This announcement expands on years of work on how we approach and treat political content based on what people have told us they wanted.”
Meta has assured that the discontinuation of the News tab will not affect its fact-checking network or its ongoing efforts to combat misinformation. However, the decision raises questions about the future of news consumption on Facebook and underscores the platform's evolving approach to content moderation and recommendation algorithms.
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