Facebook is starting its news section Facebook News in the UK on Tuesday, providing paid press articles to publishers. The United Kingdom thus became the second country to benefit from this service, which was launched in the United States at the end of 2019 to promote journalism and preserve its reputation for devolution. Facebook News has “a multi-year investment that will allow true journalism to reach a new audience, while providing publishers with more advertising and subscription opportunities,” in a statement by Jasper Daub, Director of Partnership Europe on Facebook said.

Publishers will now be paid for content that is not already on the platform. British media accepting the Facebook offer include the daily newspapers The Guardian and Financial Times, the weekly The Economist, the tabloid The Mirror and the Daily Mail, but magazines Glamor and Vogue as well as Sky News and Channels. 4. Facebook news, which can be personalized by users, aims to “connect” them to stories that impact their lives and the community around them, according to Jessper Dow.

The launch comes in the midst of a crisis for the press, which is faced with a decline in advertising revenue – the majority of which is captured by digital giants – and physical sales, often available for free, with the rise of online content it occurs. This situation is amplified by the novel coronavirus epidemic. In November, American giant Google signed agreements with French newspapers to use its content, a world previously falling within the framework of European law on neighboring rights. “Active talks” are also underway to start Facebook news in Germany, the US veteran of the social network said in early December.