Facebook’s product teams are prioritising trustworthy and informative local news with the latest News Feed algorithm update.

Loco for local

Focusing on local publishers that are defined by links that are clicked by readers in a tight geographic area, Facebook wants to bring quality news to users from their surrounding area.

Facebook’s News Feed algorithm has undergone yet another tweak, according to head of news product Alex Hardiman’s recent announcement.

Local publishers are meant to get special focus and should represent 4% of posts in News Feed, in contrast to the 5% which had been promoting brand content.

Promoting more awareness

According to Mark Zuckerberg, research has suggested that reading local is directly correlated with civic interest and engagement, making users more likely to get involved.

More engaged users may also be more informed. Following the 2016 US Presidential Election, Facebook was heavily criticized for the amount of unvetted news available through their platform.

The continued approach for local news is inline with bringing recognisable quality content to New Feeds with greater accountability. Sometimes you've got to go smaller to get bigger results.

Are you excited to see more local content on your News Feed? Give us your thoughts in our comment section below.