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Facebook is taking us away from you... Here's how to keep local headlines in your news feed

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Posted at 4:41 PM, Jan 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 13:41:00-05

TAMPA, Fla. -- Facebook is making some big changes to your news feed and you may notice the chances in the coming weeks. 

They want to make sure you have more interactions with your friends and family and see less content from businesses, the media and big brands. This includes your local news source ABC Action News. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement on his Facebook page earlier this month as a sort of New Years Resolution for the social network.

"Since there's more public content than posts from your friends and family, the balance of what's in News Feed has shifted away from the most important thing Facebook can do -- help us connect with each other," Zuckerberg said. 

These changes could keep you from seeing local news and major headlines that could affect your family and your community. 

This new effort by Facebook will reportedly not affect advertisements and users will continue to see the same ads they have seen before on the social network. 

Moral of the story, if you want to stay connected to the news that affects you, your family and your community, make sure you set your News Feed Preferences to show ABC Action News in your feed. 

You can also download the ABC Action News app for iOS or Android. Make sure you're signed up to receive push alerts and you will be in the know as breaking news happens around you. 

Here's how to do that in the Facebook app on your phone: 

  • Click the Menu lines at the corner of your screen while in the Facebook app
  • Scroll down and click "Settings"
  • A pop up menu will show up, click on "News Feed Preferences"
  • A new window will open, click "Prioritize who to see first"
  • A list of your closest friends and top pages will show up, a search bar will be visible for you to search the pages and friends you like, search ABC Action News and click on the icon, you can continue to add other friends and pages you want to see first while you have this window open
  • Once you are finished clicking your selections, click DONE at the top corner

Here's how to do the same thing on the desktop version of Facebook: 

  • While on your Facebook homepage, click the three dots next to News Feed on the left-hand side of your news feed
  • Click the option to "Edit Preferences"
  • A window will pop up, click on "Prioritize who to see first"
  • All of your friends, family and pages you like will show up, make sure you select ABC Action News as one of the pages you want to see in your news feed
  • Once you are finished clicking your selections, click DONE

Kelly Bazzle is the Digital Executive Producer for ABC Action News. Follow her on Twitter