Facebook has removed its sometimes controversial section dedicated to trending posts in order to make way for more news-orientated content.

Extra extra, no more Trending

In what Facebook is describing as “future news experiences,” Trending will be replaced by dedicated sections of news video.

Another dedicated section called “Today In” will also connect users with news from local publishers as near as their own city, as well as local government and other organisations.

Over 80 publishers are testing in the “Breaking News” section, seeing as much as a 4% lift in click-through rates, 7% in Likes, and 11% higher shares. The new endeavour shows promise.

What stage is testing at

Currently, 33 US cities are testing the new “Today In” label. Facebook hasn’t provided much on timeframes, but did say 10 or 12 publishers will be launching shows in the Watch section.

The Trending section is the infamous catspaw that fake news managed to harness and spread with such gusto, while Mark Zuckerberg insists Facebooks is not a media company but rather a tech company.

Paradoxically, Zuckerberg insists that Facebook pays to “help produce content,” so tomato tomahto. But it's clear that Facebook is serious about becoming a premiere source for reputable news.

Are you surprised Facebook is killing its Trending section? Would you like to get your news through Facebook’s Watch section? Let us know in the comments.