Twitter introduces new feature to push more news links

Continuing its aggressive move into news, Twitter has now rolled out a new feature to highlight the links shared by your network into your Home timeline, BuzzFeed News has reported.

The new feature also groups the tweets mentioning the link underneath it.

The feature has rolled out to all Twitter users across iOS, Android, and web, stated the report on Saturday citing a Twitter spokesperson as saying.

The introduction of the new feature is in line with Twitter's move to switch its identity from "social networking" to a "news" app which now airs live news broadcasts alongside the Home timeline.

While it is highlighting news and tweets from journalists in its "explore" tab, Twitter is also experimenting with curated timelines around breaking news events, the report said.

Earlier this month, Twitter also stated that it was committed to ensuring that the information people receive on the site is credible and authentic.

This has become especially important in view of the fact that millions of people go to Twitter to learn about news and events unfolding in real-time in the aftermath of a tragedy.

"...Our goal is to provide support to people in times of crisis, and show people what matters most," Del Harvey, Twitter's Vice President for Trust and Safety said in a blogpost in the aftermath of the attack at YouTube headquarters.

"Over the past few months, we've refined our tools, improved the speed of our response, and identified areas where we can improve," Harvey added.

These moves, Twitter said, are aimed at preventing people from deliberately manipulating the conversation on Twitter in the immediate aftermath of tragedies like the attack at attack at YouTube headquarters.

--IANS

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