Facebook rolls out News feature to stem flow of misinformation

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Facebook rolled out its News section Friday that curates personalized content, as part of the social giant's effort to halt the spread of inaccurate and sensationalized reporting.

The company launched Facebook News, but not all users will see it initially. The company said a public demonstration will be held Friday night in New York City. News Corp. CEO Robert Thompson and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will attend the informational event.

Participating publishers so far include the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Washington Post, Buzzfeed and Business Insider. Facebook has been repeatedly accused of stealing content from news outlets. With Facebook News, however, the company will pay outlets for the content.

The service will also feature local reporting, initially from cities including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington D.C. and Chicago. The stories will be chosen by a team of journalists.

"Journalism plays a crucial role in our democracy," Facebook said in a statement. "When news is deeply-reported and well-sourced it gives people information they can rely on. When it's not, we lose an essential tool for making good decisions."

The news is customizable based on users' preferences and platform settings and will include controls to hide articles.

"We'll continue to learn, listen and improve News as it rolls out more broadly," the company statement said. "We hope this work aids in our effort to sustain great journalism and strengthen our democracy."