• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBest Companies

Facebook Is Testing This New Feature to Fight ‘Filter Bubbles’

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 25, 2017, 3:23 PM ET

Facebook’s strategy to keep its nearly 2 billion users more informed involves feeding them a lot of news stories.

The social networking giant said Tuesday that it’s testing a new feature that will show people articles—presumably news stories from major media outlets—before they read articles shared by their Facebook friends.

The goal is to give “people more ways to see a more complete picture of a story or topic” when they see a particular story that’s trending and is being shared in their news feeds, explained Facebook news feed product manager Sara Su in a blog post.

Facebook has come under fire for its news feed creating so-called filter bubbles for its users in which people only receive articles and content that affirm their personal beliefs and values. Some political analysts speculate that the rise of fake news being shared on Facebook has led to a more misinformed public and contributed to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Although Facebook (FB) has downplayed the prevalence of fake news on its service, it’s been steadily creating initiatives and debuting new technology to curtail bogus news stories.

In early April, for example, Facebook, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and others created a $14-million initiative to help invest projects that “to increase trust in journalism around the world, and to better inform the public conversation,” according to an announcement.

Facebook’s new feature is essentially a revamped version of the company’s Related Articles feature it debuted in 2013. The original design of Related Articles was to show related news stories after a person reads a shared article, but the new version that Facebook’s testing basically flips the process.

Su wrote that when a person’s Facebook friends are “discussing an article about a new medical advancement,” the company might show the person “a few other articles below it from different publishers about the same medical topic.”

The revamped Related Articles feature should “provide people easier access to additional perspectives and information, including articles by third-party fact-checkers,” Su said.

For more about technology and finance, watch:

By showing articles from presumably reputable publishers prior to reading a shared article that could contain misinformation, Facebook is hoping that users will share more accurate stories with their friends.

Facebook did not say when it would finish testing the new Related Articles feature or from which publications it would show users news stories.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

NewslettersTerm Sheet
VC firms rarely reinvent themselves. Kleiner Perkins did—and has a new $3.5 billion to show for it
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
chat
CybersecurityChatGPT
What if I told you the ‘AI slop’ debate was over 100 years old? It used to be about ‘ghostwriting’
By Emily Hodgson Anderson and The ConversationMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Big TechMarkets
Anthropic accidentally leaked details of a new AI model that poses unprecedented cybersecurity risks
By Jim EdwardsMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
krueger
CommentarySafety
Rogue AI is already here
By David KruegerMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic data leak reveals powerful, secret Mythos AI model
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 27, 2026
3 hours ago
AIBrainstorm AI
Cursor CEO warns vibe coding builds ‘shaky foundations’ and eventually ‘things start to crumble’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 27, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago
Environment
Vail Resorts CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
1 day ago
Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
3 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
4 days ago
Economy
Social Security insolvency: How a six-figure cap to flatten benefits for the ultrawealthy could buy the program 7 critical years
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 25, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.