MediaTel

Facebook is now the fourth largest distributor of online news content behind Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

New research from Hitwise shows that Facebook's growth as a driver coincides with people spending more and more time on social networking sites.

Last week, Facebook accounted for 3.52% of visits to news and media sites, while Google News accounted for 1.39% and Google Reader just 0.1% of visits.

The recent surge follows Facebook's campaign to get users to create personalised news channels on the site.

Facebook says: "As news quickly travels, your friends are often the best filters you have for surfacing meaningful news.  Whether it's a minor event like the small earthquake in the Bay Area or something as life-altering as the recent tragedy in Haiti, you can turn to Facebook to share news, connect with news outlets and discuss current events with others.

"The news you read on Facebook can be as diverse as the friends and news media you connect with."

Heather Hopkins, senior online analyst at Hitwise predicts that this will turn Facebook into a "major disruptor to the news and media category".

Facebook has recently agreed a deal with the Wall Street Journal to publish content straight on to the social networking site.