Meta will discontinue Facebook News in early April for users in the U.S. and Australia, extending its move away from news and politics. The feature was already shut down in the U.K., France, and Germany last year.
Launched in 2019, the News tab curated headlines from various news organizations, including local publications.
Despite this change, users can still access news articles through links, and news organizations can continue posting and promoting their content on Facebook.
Meta’s decision reflects ongoing efforts to reduce news and political content due to criticism regarding misinformation and its impact on political polarization.
The modification to the News tab won’t affect Meta’s fact-checking network or its efforts to combat misinformation.
While news traffic on Facebook has decreased significantly, a Pew Research study from 2023 shows that half of U.S. adults still get news from social media, primarily Facebook.
Instagram, also owned by Meta, serves as another major platform for news consumption, with 16% of U.S. adults regularly accessing news through the app.
However, recent changes on Instagram, such as the halt in recommending political content from accounts users don’t follow, have sparked dissatisfaction among users, highlighting ongoing challenges in managing news content on social media platforms.
