Back in 2018, Facebook added a context button that provides users with information on an article’s sources. Today, Facebook is adding a new notification that lets people know when news articles they’re about to share are both timely and credible.
Facebook has recognized the importance of the context of the timeliness of an article as this helps people decide what to read, trust, and share. Furthermore, news publishers have also expressed their concerns regarding old stories passed on as current news which may misconstrue the state of current events.
To combat this, Facebook’s new feature is meant to ensure the users have the context on the articles they share on Facebook. A notification screen will appear when people click the share button on articles older than 90 days. People may, however, still share the article if they deem it relevant.
Facebook is also rolling out the same notification-style feature for COVID-19 related articles, providing information on the source, and links people to the COVID-19 Information Center.
