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Report: Facebook working on news-reading tools

Facebook is said to be working on a new project with a number of large media companies to deliver a news-reading tool that will let users read stories from within the massive social network.

You talk to friends on Facebook. You play games on Facebook. You even watch movies on Facebook. And according to a new report, you could soon be catching up on your news reading from within the social network as well.

Forbes reported today that Facebook is at work with a number of media companies including The Washington Post, CNN, and News Corp.'s The Daily to cook up something called "Facebook editions," which would launch later this year. Forbes' Jeff Bercovici described them as something akin to "app versions" of the news outlets that live inside the popular social network's walls.

Citing an anonymous source, Bercovici noted that not all media outlets are keen on that idea though. The New York Times, for instance, is said to have steered clear of building a Facebook edition owing to its paywall, whichit erected in March.

A Facebook representative told Forbes that "we have nothing new to announce," adding that "the top media sites around the world are integrated with Facebook, and we're constantly talking to our partners about ways to improve these integrations."

Last week Facebook confirmed reports that it had passed 750 million users. During a news conference about the service's new video chat feature, which is powered by Skype, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg downplayed the number, noting that the more impressive metrics centered on sharing, which he said was growing exponentially. For news organizations, that means links to stories might get a little more traction, especially if users have a way to read and share them with other users right from Facebook.