• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

5 Things You Need to Know About Facebook’s Just Announced News Tab

By
Alyssa Newcomb
Alyssa Newcomb
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alyssa Newcomb
Alyssa Newcomb
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 25, 2019, 5:25 PM ET

Facebook has unveiled a news tab where users can read a curated list of articles, marking the social media giant’s return to news after deemphasizing news in recent years.

Facebook, which announced the news service on Friday, has partnered on the effort with the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as local news outlets in Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Those deals involve Facebook paying for the articles, providing a new source of revenue to news publishers that have previously accused Facebook of failing to compensate them.

“On a financial basis, this is the first time we are forming long-term, stable relationships and partnerships with a lot of publishers,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at an event in New York to introduce the news service.

The news tab, which will be available to a limited number of U.S. users as a test, comes as Facebook faces criticism for how its handles misinformation on its service. While it says it features only higher-quality news in its news tab, the company has recently defended allowing political figures to lie in advertisements.

Here what you need to know about Facebook News.

Where to find News Tab

Facebook is testing the News Tab with a small number of U.S. users before making it available more widely. The service can be found in Facebook’s mobile app, but not on the social network’s desktop interface.

Inside the tab, users will see a list of the day’s top stories and topic sections, such as business, health, and science. There is also an area where users can link any paid news subscriptions they have and chose which publications they do or do not want to see.

As in the past, news articles will still continue to appear in Facebook’s desktop and mobile news feeds alongside updates from friends, family, and pages a person follows.

What publications are available

Articles from The New York Times, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and BuzzFeed will be available in Facebook News. Some local news outlets will also be included.

Zuckerberg emphasized that Facebook is making only trusted publications available in its news service. But in a controversial decision, Facebook has also included far-right news site Breitbart. Facebook said it wouldn’t pay Breitbart and that Facebook would only have access to articles that Breitbart directly shares on Facebook.

“I think part of having this be a trusted source is it needs to have a diversity of views,” said Zuckerberg, who has been accused by conservatives of censoring pro-conservative publications.

Breitbart’s inclusion was denounced by Media Matters for America, a progressive nonprofit organization.

“Breitbart is not a news outlet. It is a right-wing political operation that spreads lies, foments extremism and pushes white supremacy,” Media Matter CEO Angelo Carusone said in a statement.

What Facebook pays publishers

Facebook is reportedly paying some publishers millions of dollars, but it has no specific, one-size-fits-all formula to calculate that amount, Zuckerberg said. Instead, Facebook will take into account the types of content publishers make available.

“We value things like the amount of content people are producing that is high quality,” Zuckerberg said. And “the scale of the people who are subscribers or viewers of that content.”

What data it collects

Facebook, which has been criticized for its data privacy practices, says it has worked with publishers to figure out the kinds of data to provide them.

“We don’t give data to advertisers so that’s not changing here,” Zuckerberg says.

Facebook does not plan to share any personal information with publishers, including details about which stories a specific user reads, unless that person links their account to any news subscriptions they may have.

“What the tab facilitates is a person clicking through to publisher websites and if that publisher shows you a subscription paywall or pushes you to sign up for a newsletter, than you have the option of sharing that directly with the publisher and they then have a direct relationship with you,” a Facebook representative tells Fortune.

Human and machine will choose news articles

News curators who have journalism backgrounds will chose the day’s top stories. Zuckerberg says this team will have editorial independence, freeing them to surface articles about Facebook or their boss, no matter how unflattering they may be.

Elsewhere, Facebook will lean on its technology to create a more personalized experience for users who visit the tab that involves showing them articles that Facebook thinks they’re most likely to care about.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—The wireless industry needs more airwaves, but it’s going to be costly
—3 critical takeaways from Microsoft’s latest earnings
—What’s next for Google after claiming ‘quantum supremacy’?
—Now hiring: people who can translate data into stories and actions
—3 things Disney CEO Robert Iger says people can expect from Disney+
Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Author
By Alyssa Newcomb
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

NewslettersTerm Sheet
VC firms rarely reinvent themselves. Kleiner Perkins did—and has a new $3.5 billion to show for it
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 27, 2026
47 minutes ago
chat
CybersecurityChatGPT
What if I told you the ‘AI slop’ debate was over 100 years old? It used to be about ‘ghostwriting’
By Emily Hodgson Anderson and The ConversationMarch 27, 2026
54 minutes ago
Big TechMarkets
Anthropic accidentally leaked details of a new AI model that poses unprecedented cybersecurity risks
By Jim EdwardsMarch 27, 2026
59 minutes ago
krueger
CommentarySafety
Rogue AI is already here
By David KruegerMarch 27, 2026
1 hour ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic data leak reveals powerful, secret Mythos AI model
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
AIBrainstorm AI
Cursor CEO warns vibe coding builds ‘shaky foundations’ and eventually ‘things start to crumble’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 27, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago
Environment
Vail Resorts CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
1 day ago
Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
3 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
4 days ago
Economy
Social Security insolvency: How a six-figure cap to flatten benefits for the ultrawealthy could buy the program 7 critical years
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 25, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.