Facebook working on an app that sends breaking news alerts

Social networking site Facebook is reportedly working to create a new app that sends breaking news alerts to the users phone.

The stand-alone app is in its early stages and it will ask the users to choose which publications they want to subscribe and want to receive notifications from and specific topics or stations they want to receive news about.

When news in those topics breaks, the publishers write 100 characters of text along with a URL to share breaking news to their fans or followers.

Notifications sent through Facebook’s app will link out to that publication’s website.

The app which is reportedly still in alpha testing will have only a select number of publications available.

[Via]