If you work in a newsroom, listen up – Facebook has a new way of identifying “news pages” and you’ll need to go through a review process to be sure your newsroom’s Facebook Page is included on the list. In this week’s announcement, Facebook calls it a foundational step toward determining what is “news” on Facebook.
To start, they’re asking publishers who run English-language news Pages to apply. Any admin with access to a Page in Business Manager should see the “News Pages” option under the “Registrations” tab in Business Settings (https://business.facebook.com/settings). This is where you can begin the process of registering your news Pages.
Your Page will then go through a review process. If you pass, your Page will be included in the News section of the Ad Archive. To be included, Pages must abide by guidelines Facebook developed with news organizations, academics and industry groups. For example, Pages must focus primarily on current events and information, cite sources, and include bylines and dates. Pages that primarily publish ads or promotional content are not eligible. Pages cannot have a record of publishing articles that have been rated false by Facebook’s third-party fact-checking partners.
The index submission process is rolling-out gradually, so if you check for this today and don’t see it, stand by – they’ll get to you. Pages included in the index won’t look any different on Facebook, and Facebook says inclusion won’t impact ranking or Page verification (blue checkmark) status. But, they say, it will tell Facebook and your Facebook audience that you are a credible, reliable, true news source. How Facebook will use that information has yet to be completely announced, but Facebook says they’ll continue working with news groups to explore ways to use the index, including identifying Pages eligible to test new products and features.
