Facebook is letting some publishers test a breaking news feature for developing stories. Publications including ABC News and Vox Media will be allowed to have a bright red "breaking" tag beneath a post's image, which highlights how long ago the story was published. The move comes as Facebook's efforts are being scrutinized by Congress over its role in spreading misinformation during last year's election. The tag will currently not be used to determine a post's ranking within Facebook's algorithm, but whether a breaking news story should have priority over others is thought to be part of the test.
Facebook is letting some publishers test a breaking news feature for developing stories. Publications including ABC News and Vox Media will be allowed to have a bright red "breaking" tag beneath a post's image, which highlights how long ago the story was published. Publishers can mark a post as breaking for between 15 minutes and six hours, once every 24 hours, according to reports. The tag will currently not be used to determine a post's ranking within Facebook's algorithm, but whether a breaking news story should have priority over others is thought to be part of the test.