Mark Zuckerberg has said Facebook will begin focusing on promoting local news sources in people’s news feeds, the company’s latest change amid criticism that its algorithms prioritized misleading news and misinformation, influencing politics in the US and elsewhere.

“Starting today, we’re going to show more stories from news sources in your local town or city,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Monday. “If you follow a local publisher or if someone shares a local story, it may show up higher in news feed.”



Mark Zuckerberg sets toughest new year's goal yet: fixing Facebook Read more

The update will be first rolled out in the United States and expanded to more countries later this year, Zuckerberg said.

“Local news helps us understand the issues that matter in our communities and affect our lives,” he wrote. “Research suggests that reading local news is directly correlated with civic engagement. People who know what’s happening around them are more likely to get involved and help make a difference.

“When I traveled around the country last year, one theme people kept telling me is how much we all have in common if we can get past some of the most divisive national issues. Many people told me they thought that if we could turn down the temperature on the more divisive issues and instead focus on concrete local issues, then we’d all make more progress together.”

The company recently adjusted its centerpiece News Feed to prioritize what friends and family share, while reducing the amount of non-advertising content from publishers and brands.



The move had worried investors, who feared that the changes would lead people to spend less time on Facebook.