In early April 2024, Meta will retire Facebook News, a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section on Facebook that highlights news in the US and Australia. This decision is part of Meta’s ongoing effort to align its investments with the products and services most valued by people, such as short-form videos.

The official announcement mentioned that the number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US dropped by over 80% last year. Turns out, news makes up less than three percent of what you see on Facebook – not exactly stealing the spotlight. Meta highlighted:

“We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content — they come to connect with people and discover new opportunities, passions, and interests.”

The updates to Facebook News won’t affect Meta’s other offerings in these countries. You can still browse news articles on Facebook as you normally would. News publishers will maintain access to their Facebook accounts and Pages, allowing them to share links to their stories and guide users to their websites, just like any other individual or organization.

By removing the News tab in Australia, the company will also cease paying publishers in the country for their content once their current agreements expire.

A couple of years back, Facebook blocked news links in response to a proposed law that would have mandated companies like Meta to compensate media organizations for their content. However, the company reinstated news links shortly after commencing negotiations with Australian media outlets.

Canada also had its own little saga last year as Meta pulled the plug on news content from both Facebook and Instagram. Why? Well, because of the Online News Act, which told big online platforms like Meta to open their wallets and pay up for using news outlets’ content.