Facebook is preparing to enter online information by challenging Google. Mark Zuckerberg's social network has officially launched in the USA, but with the possibility of extending to other parts of the world in the future, a new section dedicated precisely to information. It's called News and has been tested since last October. Media news will be chosen not only by an algorithm but also by a group of journalists. The goal is to attract publishers with the promise of greater dissemination of their content in clear competition with Google News.
The news comes directly from Menlo Park, headquarters of Facebook Inc. The new section will host both local and national news and will allow publishers to reach an even larger audience, that of Facebook.
Social users will have free access to personalized news based on what they read and share, chosen by algorithms, and will be able to "obscure" content or publishers they do not want to see. However, they will not be able to comment but only to express one's thoughts through "reactions". While a team of Facebook journalists will take care of selecting from a group of news items, to be proposed as news of the day.
Alongside the local media and the over 200 national publishers, there will be those specialized in specific sectors, such as finance, technology or science and those dealing with news concerning 5 ethnic communities: African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Native American, and Native Alaskan and Hawaiian.
However, Facebook had already launched into the IT sector in the past with the "Trendings" project, but with poor results. The flop was due to the selection of contents, chosen by algorithms unable to distinguish fake news. Now, however, quality news will be easily accessible from the best US newspapers to independent journalism.
This initiative has great potential, because on the one hand it increases the offer of good journalism for users, on the other it provides an important economic contribution to a sector in great difficulty. In fact, the digital giants have always used the contents of traditional media, drying up the market and the publishers' fees that have never been repaid. Instead thanks to Facebook News, the media will be compensated with direct contributions and not just in percentages of advertising.
Furthermore, it also increases the responsibilities of the social media magnet. But if the information is selected by a group of journalists employed by Menlo Park, the situation would change, avoiding any social, political and cultural disputes into which the media are often dragged, as demonstrated by the latest events involving President Trump and the possible retaliation still not established.
Currently the service is available to all US users, but the plan is to extend it to other markets as well. Even if we move in the right direction, there is still a long way to go, but this step could represent the turning point for traditional media and their survival.
