NEW YORK – The Associated Press is inviting Facebook users to vote on the 10 top news stories of the year, marking the first time the public has been invited to weigh in since the news cooperative began its annual survey in 1936.

In the past, the AP’s 1,500 member newspapers, along with thousands of broadcast news organizations that use its services, have voted for the top stories of the year. The AP will continue to run that survey and will publish both top 10 lists.

The Facebook vote isn’t a scientific poll, but it illustrates news organizations’ increasing embrace of social networking Web sites to interact with their audiences.

The AP and other international news organizations also are using Facebook this month to run an online hub that invites readers to interact with journalists covering the climate-change negotiations in Copenhagen.

Voting for the top news stories ends Dec. 17. This year’s choices include the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the death of Michael Jackson and the state of the U.S. economy. Users can also submit suggestions for a top story.

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On the Net:

http://www.facebook.com/APTopStories2009

http://www.facebook.com/TheClimatePool

Source:http://news.yahoo.com