Facebook has made the move to update its news feed algorithm, changing the way in which news stories are ranked on the main feed through an algorithm update that prioritises original reporting.
The new algorithm is also said to demote any news articles that do not have transparent authorship.
As to identify any original news articles, Facebook will begin to look at groups of articles surrounding a similar topic as to determine the article more often linked to as the original source. When a multitude of articles around the same topic are shared by a number of different publishers, Facebook will aim to boost the original source onto user’s feeds rather than any duplicates. This is a change that does not apply to any articles shared by a user’s personal connections, e.g. Their Facebook friends.
Facebook also plans to stress the importance of transparent authorship with this algorithm change, emphasising that a lack of transparency indicates poor credibility. The site will demote any news articles that fail to provide information to users about their editorial staff, as sites that lack transparency also tend to lack credibility.
As these changes to the Facebook algorithm are introduced, original news may see a vast increase in distribution. This may lead to some sites needing to change the ways in which their articles are developed and managed; a strong content management strategy may offer a great solution to this potential issue.