Facebook rolls out its dedicated News section to all US users
You may need to use a bookmark to see it.
Facebook’s dedicated news section is finally available to everyone in the US... in a manner of speaking. The social media giant has made News accessible to all American users as a bookmark, but it’s only available to “millions more” than previously as the promised tab. If you want that tab to appear sooner, you’ll have to “frequently” visit the bookmark to make your intentions clear. No, it doesn’t make sense to us, either.
Thankfully, there’s more to the rollout. You’ll see a local section in news that brings in more region-specific updates. The Today In discovery feature will weave its way into Facebook News in the “weeks ahead,” and the company is either introducing or testing features like news video (a test), targeted notifications, breaking news alerts and digests that recap larger events.
The deployment underscores Facebook’s attempt to fill gaps in local news coverage, if sometimes gaps that it created by speeding the death of local newspapers. It also comes at a crucial moment. The pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests and the looming US presidential election make access to news all the more vital — it’s not clear if Facebook will offer an alluring take on that news, but there’s undoubtedly a large potential audience.
