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Applications to the News Page Index are reviewed against the below criteria, which were developed in collaboration with publishers, academics and industry groups.

Authenticity and Accountability

In order to be eligible for inclusion in the News Page Index, Pages must be active in the last 90 days, must have existed for at least 90 days and must link to a functioning website with a verified domain.

The publisher’s Page name must reflect a relationship to its associated website or owning business. Moreover, the information provided by the Publisher in the “About” section of their Page may be assessed for accuracy and whether it reflects their status as a News provider with a multi-person editorial staff. Additionally, the majority of links posted on the publisher's Page must come from the website verified for news Page registration.

To protect the integrity of our platform, we expect publishers who submit their news Pages to confirm business ownership and identity and comply with Facebook’s Community Standards, Pages Policy and Platform Policy. Pages that choose to advertise and monetize must also comply with our Advertising Policies and Monetization Eligibility Standards.

Requirements

The News Page Index is currently designed as a tool for news publishing entities including newspapers, e-magazines and news television shows, not for individuals. The News Page Index does not accept applications from Pages dedicated to individual journalists. Applicants’ content should reflect the judgment of a multi-person editorial staff.

News Content

We know that news spans a range of topics, and can be communicated in different formats and styles. Based on industry standards, we expect publishers to submit news Pages that:

• Primarily create journalism that reports on current events or timely information, and that is not parody or satire.
• Cite and/or link to fact-based sources for published information. Publishers that cite parody and satire as fact, or that repeatedly cite known publishers of misinformation and hoaxes, will not meet this requirement.
• Include dates/timestamps on published content.
• Primarily publish content that is not user-generated or aggregated from other websites.
• Provide transparent information about writers or editors (e.g. full names of writers in bios, or of writers and editors in a staff directory).

We will also take into account the press freedom environment in which a publisher operates.

Misinformation

Pages and publishers that have recently and repeatedly shared misinformation will not be eligible to register as news Pages. If our fact-checking partners find a registered news Page or publisher to be repeatedly sharing misinformation, registration for that Page may be revoked. Publishers with associated Pages that repeatedly share misinformation may also face restricted privileges associated with news Page registration.

Ads & Sponsored Content

We recognize that news publishers create and post a wide range of content, including advertising and promotions. However, the amount of advertising and promotional content should not exceed the amount of news content.

In the interest of transparency, we also require registered news publishers to clearly distinguish news content from affiliate, promotional, advertising and marketing content, so users can easily tell the difference.