Facebook Inc. introduced a separate news section in its flagship app, offering users more control over articles they see and providing money to the publishers whose stories are featured.
The section, called Facebook News, helps the social-media giant stem criticism on two fronts: It’s an effort to combat misinformation and could improve relationships with media companies, which have complained that Facebook profits from selling advertising alongside their articles.
Facebook News debuts Friday to some users in the U.S. It will feature articles chosen partly by Facebook employees who “will be free from editorial intervention by anyone at the company.” The section also will be personalized based on news that users prefer and they can hide articles, topics or publishers they don’t want to see
The section will include stories from about 200 publishers, including national outlets like the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NBC News and ABC News, and local outlets in big cities such as the Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News. It also will feature conservative-leaning sites, including Breitbart News.
Media Bias Fact Check rates Breitbart Questionable based on extreme right wing bias, publication of conspiracy theories and propaganda as well as numerous false claims.
It is very concerning that Facebook, who is trying to promote quality news, would include a source that routinely publishes false and misleading information that is hyper-partisan. There are many right leaning conservative news sources that are highly factual and credible, it is shocking that they would promote a site that routinely fails fact checks.
Source: Bloomberg and opinion by Dave Van Zandt
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If they are including ABC and the others you mentioned they certainly aren’t going by truthful news outlets.