Clicking on a news link on Facebook and then getting redirected to another website could become a thing of the past.
Facebook has been talking to at least half a dozen news companies, including The New York Times, the National Geographic and Buzz Feed, about hosting their stories directly on the social network, The New York Times reported on Monday.
But with newspapers and blogs used to tracking data and reader habits on their own websites, Facebook s idea has some news organizations nervous about what that could mean for its future.
Social media has changed the way the average reader consumes news including for the younger audience that news companies are trying to attract.
About 88 percent of Millennials (adults ages 18 to 34) reported getting news from Facebook regularly even though it s not the primary reason why they visited a social media website, according to a survey released this month by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration between the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Some people, particularly older Millennials, are more inclined to actively seek news, while others tend to let news find them, but virtually all Millennials employ a blend of both methods, as well as a mix of platforms and activities, according to the report.
The New York Times, citing two people with knowledge of the discussion, reported that Facebook plans to start testing the new format in the next several months.
Photo Credit: Karen Bleierkaren Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
