Facebook wants to be all things to everyone.
You like Google+ because of the ability to create circles and separate out the elements of your life? Facebook saw that and emulated it quickly with Lists.
You like Twitter because people can follow you without there having to be a “relationship” there”? Fine. Facebook launched Subscriptions.
And, it is Subscriptions that has become very attractive to journalists. Facebook has announced that thousands of journalists now use the subscription feature to promote their writing.
Rather than create a Facebook “Page” (not the same as a Profile), journalists can now keep their regular profiles but allow people to subscribe to their feeds. All the pictures and other Timeline info remains between you and your Facebook friends (or those you specify in security settings). Items you wish your subscribers to see can go out to an unlimited number of people.
Which is one of the big differences between accepting friends vs subscribers on Facebook. You are limited to 5,000 friends on Facebook But, there is no limit to subscribers.
There are still advantages to creating a Page on Facebook. There are customizations and tabs that Profiles don’t get. Anyone can “Like” your Page and get the same info as a subscriber would. And, you can assign multiple admins to a Page.
The differences in terminology about Pages vs Profiles, and who lis allowed to do what under Facebook’s Terms of Service, can get twisty. Facebook has several help pages to walk you through it all.
One about Subscribing in general.
While anyone can use the Subscription feature, Facebook is taking its Subscribing for Journalists seriously. They have dedicated a whole program to just that demographic. In the past, journalists have been very keen on Twitter for releasing things. Facebook hopes to chip away at that market with its Subscription feature.