Last month, Facebook announced new changes to its news feed algorithm, intended to focus users’ feeds on more “meaningful” content.
Essentially, what that means is Facebook will prioritize posts from your family and friends over “public content.” Facebook’s goal is to reinforce its dedication to fostering personal connections. Sounds good, right?
Well, to answer that, we need to look more closely at what constitutes public content. Mark Zuckerberg defines this as “posts from businesses, brands and media.” But it’s more than that. It could be sneak peeks from your favorite TV show. Recaps from your sports teams. Those cooking videos you watch during lunch breaks or between classes.
It’s also your local newspaper.
One of the biggest losers in this new Facebook update is digital journalism. Seventy percent of readers who reach The Daily Californian through social media find our stories through Facebook. And although Facebook also recently announced efforts to promote more stories from local papers, other attempts by the platform to curb media and video reach make the outcome uncertain.
The Daily Cal has been Berkeley’s paper of record for almost 150 years. Let us continue to share our community’s stories with you.
If you’d like to continue to see the best of the Daily Cal, here are some things you can do.
1. “See first”
Go to the Daily Cal’s Facebook page, and hover your cursor over the “Following” button. Make sure the “see first” option is checked.
2. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Also subscribe to our Snapchat Discover channel.
Not only are we active on three major social media platforms, but the Daily Cal also has a cutting-edge team dedicated to putting out a new issue on Snapchat every week. The Daily Cal was the first college newspaper in the nation to launch a Snapchat Discover channel.
3. Subscribe to our newsletter, The Weekly Californian.
Don’t miss each week’s biggest headlines. Sign up for our content highlights, released every Friday.
4. Read our print issue.
The Daily Cal publishes a print issue Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Pick up a free copy at one of these 100+ distribution locations around Berkeley.
