View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Comment
October 24, 2017updated 25 Oct 2017 8:09am

Facebook pilot scheme removing news stories from main feed looks like shot across bows of grumbling news publishers

By Dominic Ponsford

Facebook’s experiment at clearing everything but content from friends and sponsored posts from its main news feed will alarm publishers.

The social media giant is already the single biggest source of traffic for many news publishers, as Douglas McCabe from Enders Analysis revealed at last week’s Digital Journalism Summit.

Overall Facebook is reckoned to account for 22 per cent of the traffic to national newspaper websites (but for some the proportion is far higher).

The Facebook experiment saw the creation of a new feed called Explore which enabled users to browse stories they were interested in, as the BBC reports.

In Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Slovakia, Serbia, Guatemala, and Cambodia the main newsfeed was cleared of everything except content from friends and sponsored posts.

This effectively means that if news publishers in those countries want their content to be where the eyeballs are on Facebook they will have to pay for the privilege.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

A Slovakian journalist as written that news websites in his country have seen a 75 per cent drop in interactions on Facebook as a result of the change.

Facebook has said it has no current plans to roll out the experiment into other countries.

But could it be a shot across the bows of grumbling news organisations around the world?

Facebook is facing increasing complaints that it makes billions off the back of professionally-produced journalism but shares little with news publishers.

Could this be Facebook showing that it can survive without the news industry and has a back-up revenue model in the wings?

Ultimately it shows that any publisher who’s business model is dependent on revenue from Facebook needs to change fast, because the US giant can change its terms whenever it likes.

The bizarre thing about this move is that it comes as Facebook has been seeking to charm journalists and persuade is that it is on our side.

Facebook is currently looking at implementing new technology which will help publishers sell subscriptions on its site. And it claims to be returning more than $1m dollars a day to news publishers via revenue shares on advertising.

If those are the carrots, then the Explore experiment shows that Facebook is also carrying a big stick.

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network