Facebook is testing a new way to give its user more control over the stories they view.
The social networking giant is trailing Facebook News via its mobile app in the United States. The company has reportedly begun testing a news hub that is dedicated to providing users with quality news. The purpose of the hub is to give users greater control over the stories they see to deliver an experience that is more relevant and personalized.
The hub has a “Today’s Stories” section curated by the company’s team of journalists.
What makes the particular Facebook News feature unique is that it has a “Today’s Stories” section. This section is specially curated by Facebook’s team of journalists. Mobile users with access to the section have the ability to personalize their experience based on the news read, followed and shared.
There are also topic sections and a section listing paid news subscription that are linked to Facebook. Additionally, users have the ability to hide articles, news topics, and publishers that they’re not interested in seeing.
That said, articles will continue to show up in the news feeds of Facebook user as they presently do.
The purpose of the Facebook News hub is to give users information that they can rely on.
“Journalism plays a critical role in our democracy,” said vice president of global news partnerships, and Mona Sarantakos, product manager for News, Campbell Brown, in a recent Facebook blog post.
“When news is deeply-reported and well-sourced it gives people information they can rely on. When it’s not, we lose an essential tool for making good decisions.”
Brown says that Facebook wants to support both their user’s personalized experience and offer reporting that transcends individual experience.
The initial news test will be launched to a subset of people in the U.S. The section will feature local original reporting from publications in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Brown also said that the criteria for Facebook News will evolve over time and ensure that people are seeing sources that are valuable to them and that Facebook includes reporting across those topics.
