Facebook Inc. said it’s expanding its “Today In” feature, which provides users with local news and announcements.

In a blog post Wednesday, the company said the feature is available in 400 U.S. cities, while the first test of Today In has also begun in Australia. One of the reasons for the expansion, according to the company, is the fact some people live in what are called “news deserts” and local news was hard to come by.

Facebook said the release of the feature was the result of popular demand, with 50 percent of people surveyed saying that they wanted to see more local news on their feed more than anything else.

“The research showed that people wanted both what might be traditionally understood as local news — breaking news or information about past events like city council meetings, crime reports and weather updates — as well as community information that could help them make plans, like bus schedules, road closures and restaurant openings,” said the company.

People who live in a city where Today In is available will see the feature as a separate tab aside the news feed. They can then choose to see what’s been going on by looking in that section, and also choose to start seeing more local news and community announcements in their news feed.

On top of that, Facebook said it has been working with local governments and first responders to get important updates to users. This test so far has only involved 100 such local authorities, an initiative when fully realized that should help people see things such as road closures, natural disasters, traffic pile-ups and the like when they need to know. This will appear in the Today In section as well.

Facebook is also ensuring that local news goes through filters before it appears in the section, something that should prevent erroneous news popping up.

“We have a number of misinformation filters in place to ensure that fake news and clickbait does not surface on Today In,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We also provide people the ability to report suspicious content on Facebook and within Today In.”

The net result is that Facebook appears to be putting a lot of effort into providing people with relevant, local news, giving people more than just the national or global headlines of the day. Earlier this month, it was announced that the company will be giving around $6 million to train local journalists in the U.K. This “Community News Project,” Facebook said, was a first of its kind.

Facebook has provided a map so users can see where Today In is available.

Image: Facebook