Facebook testing local news section on its platform

Facebook is testing a new feature where it will have city-specific local news, events and announcements available on its platform.

The test is currently live for a new section called "Today In" in six US cities, CNET reported on Thursday.Users in test markets will be able to access the feature through the bottom-right menu button on Facebook.A machine learning (ML) software will power the "Today In" section, helping a team find local content.

Local news publishers will be approved by Facebook's News Partnerships team.The move comes as part of Facebook's Journalism Project announced in January last year to curb the spread of fake news on its platform and build out local news partnerships.Last year, the social media giant also tested products to connect its users to local news.