Facebook's newest tested feature pushes local news and events

As Facebook continues to battle the scourge of "fake news," it's trying out a new feature that it hopes will connect users with local news, events, and announcements called "Today In."

The new feature will push local content from publishers approved by the company's News Partnership team, according to Recode. The feature is available on mobile in just six cities so far: New Orleans, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Billings, Montana; Peoria, Illinois; Olympia, Washington; Binghamton, New York.

By clicking the menu button and selecting "Today in," users who identify themselves as living in those six cities will see a selection of content. According to a Facebook spokesperson, "Today In" is intended as a place on Facebook where users can find news from vetted local news sources, community events, and even alerts from local authorities.

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SEE ALSO:Facebook's 'Year In Review' just summed up how bad 2017 really wasCredit: Facebook

Partnering with local news has been a major focus for Facebook, including last year's sit-down between the social media company and some of the top stake-holders in local media in the U.S. The roundtable for local news included partnership groups like the Local Media Association and the Local Media Consortium, as well as media companies like Gannett, TEGNA, and McClatchy.

Credit: Facebook

"Today In" is just the latest tweak Facebook has recently rolled out aiming to positively change the way users engage with news. Besides demoting what they called "engagement bait," the platform has tried working with fact-checking journalists and trying out a now-defunct "disputed news" tag in an attempt to curb the spread of fake news.

It's been an uphill climb for Facebook, but maybe by starting on the smaller, local scale, the platform can see meaningful changes and impact.

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