Facebook is testing a dedicated section for local news
Six cities in the US will get to try out the new ‘Today In’ section.
Facebook is testing a new section dedicated to local news and events, Recode reports. Called "Today In," it's currently being tested in six cities -- New Orleans, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Billings, Montana; Peoria Illinois; Olympia, Washington; and Binghamton, New York. It's accessible through the menu button on the bottom right of the mobile app and will include stories from local publishers -- which will be approved by Facebook's News Partnerships team -- as well as emergency updates and local events.
Facebook made quite a few changes to how it manages news last year. It made efforts to minimize the spread of fake news on its site and incorporated new features to highlight legitimate news sources. Facebook also began pushing more posts from local politicians into the News Feed and started testing a "breaking news" tag.
Recode reports that Facebook intends to bring Today In to more cities in the future and will allow users to follow cities where they don't currently live.
