Facebook is expanding a News Feed test it launched last year that aims to help users determine the integrity of news items posted on the platform.
Originally, the test included an “i” button added to news headline links that, when clicked, displayed more information about the article and the publisher that ran it. Now, in addition to the “i” button displaying further information about the article, it will also display a section of “Related Stories” with recent headlines from the publisher, a share count that shows where the news item has been shared geographically in the US and a list of the user’s friends who have shared it.
There is also an option to follow the publisher’s page within the “About this article” information.
Facebook offered the following short video demonstrating how the newly added “i” button information will be displayed:
Newsroom: Article Context Launch Video Posted by Facebook on Monday, April 2, 2018
Facebook says the latest updates to the News Feed test are being rolled out to everyone in the US. (The initial announcement about the “i” button didn’t say who, or how many users would see the test.)
Facebook is also rolling out a new test to a limited number of users that will show information about an article’s author, but this test is only for articles published via Facebook’s Instant Articles format.
“People in this test will be able to tap an author’s name in Instant Articles to see additional information, including a description from the author’s Wikipedia entry, a button to follow their Page or Profile, and other recent articles they’ve published,” writes Facebook in the announcement on its news site.
Facebook says the author information will only display if the article’s publisher has implemented author tags on their website and validated the author’s association to the publisher. This test is not rolling out to the entire US; instead, it’s being released as a “small test in the US.”
According to Facebook, the newly added information around headline links in the News Feed is the result of feedback from Facebook’s community and its academic and industry partners.
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