Local news will become more visible in Facebook news feeds

Facebook is altering its news feed algorithm Monday so that Canadians will see more news from local sources in their home feeds.

The company said the update is designed to help local publishers reach audiences in their cities and those nearby. It won’t be as simple as people in one city getting more news from news organizations in that city. Facebook specified that it would consider some publishers “local to multiple cities.”

So if a news site for a Hamilton, Ont. newspaper is commonly read by people in neighbouring St. Catherines, for example, Facebook will also prioritize that publication in those users’ feeds.

The change took place in the U.S. earlier this year.

The company also reiterated that it would continue to “prioritize high quality news” in the feed, including news from broadly trusted sources. Facebook faces criticism for its perceived indifference to so-called “fake news” being allowing to populate user feeds.

You can read more about this story in Media in Canada here.