Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) will reportedly discontinue the Facebook News feature in the U.S. and Australia, effective early April. This move is part of the company's strategy to reduce its focus on news and political content.
What Happened: The Facebook News tab, which was launched in 2019, will be removed from the U.S. and Australia, reported Bloomberg. This follows the feature's closure in the U.K., France, and Germany last year.
Despite the discontinuation of the News tab, users will still be able to access news articles through links, and news organizations will retain the ability to post and promote their content on Facebook.
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Meta's decision to scale back its news and political content is a response to years of criticism regarding its handling of misinformation and its potential role in political polarization.
Dani Lever, a spokesperson for Meta, clarified that the change will not affect posts from accounts that users choose to follow, but rather the system's recommendations.
This move is in line with Meta's ongoing efforts to address political content based on user feedback.
Why It Matters: The decision to discontinue the Facebook News tab in the U.S. and Australia comes after Meta's earlier move to stop compensating news publishers for their content on the platform in these countries. This decision was part of Meta's broader strategy to reduce its focus on news content.
Despite these challenges, social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook, remain a significant source of news for many users.
Meta's decision to scale back its news and political content could prompt news organizations to focus on alternative ways to attract an audience, such as search and newsletters, as suggested by media analyst Rick Edmonds.
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