Facebook Shows Breaking News in Newsfeed 2 Days After Event Occurs

Thanks, Facebook. Thanks a lot. Thanks for showing breaking news (from a local news station near me) TWO DAYS after the event happened. No, not minutes or even a few hours after the breaking news event happened, but TWO DAYS after the news station posted it to Facebook.

Above, you’ll see the screen capture of what just appeared in my Facebook newsfeed, I use the term ‘newsfeed’ only because that’s what they call it–not that it’s an actual newsfeed in the actual sense of the word. This “breaking news” event, was posted by CBS DFW (a local tv news station that I’ve ‘liked’ on Facebook) on Friday, August 22nd. But Facebook chooses to actually show it to me, in my Facebook newsfeed, roughly 2 days after it occurred.

I realize that Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm has apparently decided that this post is relevant to show to me, probably based on comments and the “likes” of other people who either I’m friends with or friends of friends, or friends of friends of friends. But in no circumstance is showing a “breaking news” post 2 days after it was actually posted is timely.

You would think that Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm could:
– identify that the page is a news website’s page
– identify the words “breaking news” in the post.
– have the reasonable ability to realize that ‘breaking news’ isn’t breaking news anymore after two days.

Kind of makes you wonder how/why certain items appear in your newsfeed, and when they appear. And what doesn’t appear in your newsfeed.