diff --git a/browser/brave_news/brave_news_controller_factory.cc b/browser/brave_news/brave_news_controller_factory.cc
index 129ac072830e..c4869a68bf09 100644
--- a/browser/brave_news/brave_news_controller_factory.cc
+++ b/browser/brave_news/brave_news_controller_factory.cc
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@
 
 #include "base/no_destructor.h"
 #include "brave/browser/brave_ads/ads_service_factory.h"
+#include "brave/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h"
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.h"
+#include "chrome/browser/content_settings/host_content_settings_map_factory.h"
 #include "chrome/browser/favicon/favicon_service_factory.h"
 #include "chrome/browser/history/history_service_factory.h"
 #include "chrome/browser/profiles/incognito_helpers.h"
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ BraveNewsControllerFactory::BraveNewsControllerFactory()
   DependsOn(brave_ads::AdsServiceFactory::GetInstance());
   DependsOn(FaviconServiceFactory::GetInstance());
   DependsOn(HistoryServiceFactory::GetInstance());
+  DependsOn(HostContentSettingsMapFactory::GetInstance());
 }
 
 BraveNewsControllerFactory::~BraveNewsControllerFactory() = default;
@@ -71,9 +74,13 @@ BraveNewsControllerFactory::BuildServiceInstanceForBrowserContext(
   auto* ads_service = brave_ads::AdsServiceFactory::GetForProfile(profile);
   auto* history_service = HistoryServiceFactory::GetForProfile(
       profile, ServiceAccessType::EXPLICIT_ACCESS);
+  auto* host_content_settings_map =
+      HostContentSettingsMapFactory::GetForProfile(profile);
   return std::make_unique<BraveNewsController>(
       profile->GetPrefs(), favicon_service, ads_service, history_service,
-      profile->GetURLLoaderFactory());
+      profile->GetURLLoaderFactory(),
+      std::make_unique<DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl>(
+          host_content_settings_map));
 }
 
 bool BraveNewsControllerFactory::ServiceIsNULLWhileTesting() const {
diff --git a/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.cc b/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..22ce8cfeeaf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2024 The Brave Authors. All rights reserved.
+// This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+// License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
+// You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+#include "brave/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h"
+
+#include "brave/browser/brave_browser_process.h"
+#include "brave/components/brave_shields/content/browser/brave_shields_util.h"
+#include "content/public/browser/browser_thread.h"
+
+namespace brave_news {
+
+DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl::DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl(
+    HostContentSettingsMap* host_content_settings_map)
+    : host_content_settings_map_(host_content_settings_map),
+      https_upgrade_exceptions_service_(
+          g_brave_browser_process->https_upgrade_exceptions_service()) {}
+
+DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl::~DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl() = default;
+
+bool DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl::ShouldUpgradeToHttps(const GURL& url) {
+  DCHECK_CURRENTLY_ON(content::BrowserThread::UI);
+  if (!host_content_settings_map_ || !https_upgrade_exceptions_service_) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return brave_shields::ShouldUpgradeToHttps(host_content_settings_map_, url,
+                                             https_upgrade_exceptions_service_);
+}
+
+base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate>
+DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl::AsWeakPtr() {
+  return weak_ptr_factory_.GetWeakPtr();
+}
+
+}  // namespace brave_news
diff --git a/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h b/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..339dd4af5a55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2024 The Brave Authors. All rights reserved.
+// This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+// License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
+// You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+#ifndef BRAVE_BROWSER_BRAVE_NEWS_DIRECT_FEED_FETCHER_DELEGATE_IMPL_H_
+#define BRAVE_BROWSER_BRAVE_NEWS_DIRECT_FEED_FETCHER_DELEGATE_IMPL_H_
+
+#include "brave/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h"
+#include "url/gurl.h"
+
+namespace https_upgrade_exceptions {
+class HttpsUpgradeExceptionsService;
+}  // namespace https_upgrade_exceptions
+
+class HostContentSettingsMap;
+
+namespace brave_news {
+
+class DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl : public DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate {
+ public:
+  explicit DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl(
+      HostContentSettingsMap* host_content_settings_map);
+  ~DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl() override;
+
+  DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl(const DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl&) = delete;
+  DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl& operator=(
+      const DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl&) = delete;
+
+  // Must be called on UI thread
+  bool ShouldUpgradeToHttps(const GURL& url) override;
+
+  base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> AsWeakPtr() override;
+
+ private:
+  raw_ptr<HostContentSettingsMap> host_content_settings_map_;
+  raw_ptr<https_upgrade_exceptions::HttpsUpgradeExceptionsService>
+      https_upgrade_exceptions_service_;
+
+  base::WeakPtrFactory<DirectFeedFetcherDelegateImpl> weak_ptr_factory_{this};
+};
+
+}  // namespace brave_news
+
+#endif  // BRAVE_BROWSER_BRAVE_NEWS_DIRECT_FEED_FETCHER_DELEGATE_IMPL_H_
diff --git a/browser/brave_news/sources.gni b/browser/brave_news/sources.gni
index a7350e03430e..8b5e3af0d57a 100644
--- a/browser/brave_news/sources.gni
+++ b/browser/brave_news/sources.gni
@@ -14,12 +14,15 @@ brave_browser_brave_news_sources += [
   "//brave/browser/brave_news/brave_news_controller_factory.h",
   "//brave/browser/brave_news/brave_news_tab_helper.cc",
   "//brave/browser/brave_news/brave_news_tab_helper.h",
+  "//brave/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.cc",
+  "//brave/browser/brave_news/direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_impl.h",
 ]
 
 brave_browser_brave_news_deps += [
   "//base",
   "//brave/components/brave_news/browser",
   "//brave/components/brave_news/common",
+  "//brave/components/brave_shields/content/browser",
   "//chrome/browser/profiles:profile",
   "//components/keyed_service/content",
   "//content/public/browser",
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.cc
index e74d9b7aecfb..082264f325de 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.cc
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ BraveNewsController::BraveNewsController(
     favicon::FaviconService* favicon_service,
     brave_ads::AdsService* ads_service,
     history::HistoryService* history_service,
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    std::unique_ptr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
     : favicon_service_(favicon_service),
       ads_service_(ads_service),
       api_request_helper_(GetNetworkTrafficAnnotationTag(), url_loader_factory),
@@ -116,9 +117,11 @@ BraveNewsController::BraveNewsController(
                                   url_loader_factory),
       history_service_(history_service),
       url_loader_factory_(url_loader_factory),
+      direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_(std::move(direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)),
       pref_manager_(*prefs),
       news_metrics_(prefs, pref_manager_),
-      direct_feed_controller_(url_loader_factory),
+      direct_feed_controller_(url_loader_factory,
+                              direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_->AsWeakPtr()),
       task_runner_(base::ThreadPool::CreateSingleThreadTaskRunner(
           {base::MayBlock(), base::TaskPriority::BEST_EFFORT,
            base::TaskShutdownBehavior::SKIP_ON_SHUTDOWN})),
@@ -796,7 +799,8 @@ void BraveNewsController::Prefetch() {
 
 void BraveNewsController::ResetEngine() {
   engine_.reset(
-      new BraveNewsEngine(url_loader_factory_->Clone(), MakeHistoryQuerier()));
+      new BraveNewsEngine(url_loader_factory_->Clone(), MakeHistoryQuerier(),
+                          direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_->AsWeakPtr()));
 }
 
 void BraveNewsController::ConditionallyStartOrStopTimer() {
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.h b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.h
index aaaf68ae4a49..bfda58fae042 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_controller.h
@@ -68,7 +68,9 @@ class BraveNewsController
       favicon::FaviconService* favicon_service,
       brave_ads::AdsService* ads_service,
       history::HistoryService* history_service,
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+      std::unique_ptr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate>
+          direct_feed_fetcher_delegate);
   ~BraveNewsController() override;
   BraveNewsController(const BraveNewsController&) = delete;
   BraveNewsController& operator=(const BraveNewsController&) = delete;
@@ -183,6 +185,8 @@ class BraveNewsController
   raw_ptr<history::HistoryService> history_service_;
   scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory_;
 
+  std::unique_ptr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_;
+
   BraveNewsPrefManager pref_manager_;
   SubscriptionsSnapshot last_subscriptions_;
 
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.cc
index 2e2655e6a43c..c513f29c8438 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.cc
@@ -32,10 +32,12 @@ namespace brave_news {
 BraveNewsEngine::BraveNewsEngine(
     std::unique_ptr<network::PendingSharedURLLoaderFactory>
         pending_shared_url_loader_factory,
-    BackgroundHistoryQuerier history_querier)
+    BackgroundHistoryQuerier history_querier,
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
     : pending_shared_url_loader_factory_(
           std::move(pending_shared_url_loader_factory)),
-      history_querier_(std::move(history_querier)) {
+      history_querier_(std::move(history_querier)),
+      direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_(direct_feed_fetcher_delegate) {
   DETACH_FROM_SEQUENCE(sequence_checker_);
 }
 
@@ -187,7 +189,7 @@ FeedV2Builder* BraveNewsEngine::MaybeFeedV2Builder() {
     feed_v2_builder_ = std::make_unique<FeedV2Builder>(
         *GetPublishersController(), *GetChannelsController(),
         *GetSuggestionsController(), history_querier_,
-        GetSharedURLLoaderFactory());
+        GetSharedURLLoaderFactory(), direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_);
   }
 
   return feed_v2_builder_.get();
@@ -202,7 +204,7 @@ FeedController* BraveNewsEngine::MaybeFeedV1Builder() {
   if (!feed_controller_) {
     feed_controller_ = std::make_unique<FeedController>(
         GetPublishersController(), history_querier_,
-        GetSharedURLLoaderFactory());
+        GetSharedURLLoaderFactory(), direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_);
   }
 
   return feed_controller_.get();
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.h b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.h
index 5912fcf5178c..dff7d35bbd67 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/brave_news_engine.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "base/sequence_checker.h"
 #include "base/thread_annotations.h"
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/browser/background_history_querier.h"
+#include "brave/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h"
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/common/brave_news.mojom.h"
 
 namespace api_request_helper {
@@ -49,7 +50,8 @@ class BraveNewsEngine {
   explicit BraveNewsEngine(
       std::unique_ptr<network::PendingSharedURLLoaderFactory>
           pending_shared_url_loader_factory,
-      BackgroundHistoryQuerier history_querier);
+      BackgroundHistoryQuerier history_querier,
+      base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate);
   BraveNewsEngine(const BraveNewsEngine&) = delete;
   BraveNewsEngine& operator=(const BraveNewsEngine&) = delete;
   ~BraveNewsEngine();
@@ -105,6 +107,8 @@ class BraveNewsEngine {
   BackgroundHistoryQuerier history_querier_
       GUARDED_BY_CONTEXT(sequence_checker_);
 
+  base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_;
+
   std::unique_ptr<api_request_helper::APIRequestHelper> api_request_helper_
       GUARDED_BY_CONTEXT(sequence_checker_);
 
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.cc
index ec02a9f6b075..d8081ca4c620 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.cc
@@ -36,8 +36,9 @@ DirectFeedController::FindFeedRequest::operator=(
 DirectFeedController::FindFeedRequest::~FindFeedRequest() = default;
 
 DirectFeedController::DirectFeedController(
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
-    : fetcher_(url_loader_factory) {}
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
+    : fetcher_(url_loader_factory, direct_feed_fetcher_delegate) {}
 
 DirectFeedController::~DirectFeedController() = default;
 
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.h b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.h
index 41c03a10e3bc..430fafa63ea6 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller.h
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ using IsValidCallback =
 class DirectFeedController {
  public:
   explicit DirectFeedController(
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+      base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate);
   ~DirectFeedController();
   DirectFeedController(const DirectFeedController&) = delete;
   DirectFeedController& operator=(const DirectFeedController&) = delete;
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller_unittest.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller_unittest.cc
index 7d6c72b9b949..04f49b0651ed 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller_unittest.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_controller_unittest.cc
@@ -78,10 +78,24 @@ constexpr char kFeedURL[] = "https://example.com/feed";
 class BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest : public testing::Test {
  public:
   BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest()
-      : direct_feed_controller_(test_url_loader_factory_.GetSafeWeakWrapper()) {
-  }
+      : direct_feed_controller_(test_url_loader_factory_.GetSafeWeakWrapper(),
+                                direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_.AsWeakPtr()) {}
 
  protected:
+  class MockDirectFeedFetcherDelegate : public DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate {
+   public:
+    ~MockDirectFeedFetcherDelegate() override = default;
+
+    bool ShouldUpgradeToHttps(const GURL& url) override { return true; }
+
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> AsWeakPtr() override {
+      return weak_ptr_factory_.GetWeakPtr();
+    }
+
+   private:
+    base::WeakPtrFactory<MockDirectFeedFetcherDelegate> weak_ptr_factory_{this};
+  };
+
   std::tuple<bool, std::string> VerifyFeedUrl(GURL feed_url) {
     return WaitForCallback(base::BindOnce(
         &DirectFeedController::VerifyFeedUrl,
@@ -99,6 +113,7 @@ class BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest : public testing::Test {
   content::BrowserTaskEnvironment task_environment_;
   data_decoder::test::InProcessDataDecoder data_decoder_;
   network::TestURLLoaderFactory test_url_loader_factory_;
+  MockDirectFeedFetcherDelegate direct_feed_fetcher_delegate_;
   DirectFeedController direct_feed_controller_;
 };
 
@@ -141,6 +156,17 @@ TEST_F(BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest, CanFindFeedFromFeedURL) {
   EXPECT_EQ("Hacker News", feed->feed_title);
 }
 
+TEST_F(BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest, CanUpgradeToHTTPS) {
+  // Find an RSS feed
+  test_url_loader_factory_.AddResponse(kFeedURL, GetBasicFeed());
+  auto result = FindFeeds(GURL("http://example.com/feed"));
+
+  ASSERT_EQ(1u, result.size());
+  auto feed = std::move(result.at(0));
+  EXPECT_EQ("http://example.com/feed", feed->feed_url.spec());
+  EXPECT_EQ("Hacker News", feed->feed_title);
+}
+
 TEST_F(BraveNewsDirectFeedControllerTest, CanFindFeedFromPageWithFeedURL) {
   // Fetch a page with an RSS feed
   test_url_loader_factory_.AddResponse(kPageUrl, GetHtmlPageWithFeed());
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.cc
index ec724adf9db7..d3e7a7c0b1b3 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.cc
@@ -16,12 +16,15 @@
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/browser/network.h"
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/common/brave_news.mojom.h"
 #include "brave/components/brave_news/rust/lib.rs.h"
+#include "content/public/browser/browser_thread.h"
 #include "net/base/load_flags.h"
 #include "services/network/public/cpp/resource_request.h"
 #include "services/network/public/cpp/simple_url_loader.h"
 #include "services/network/public/mojom/url_response_head.mojom.h"
 #include "third_party/abseil-cpp/absl/types/variant.h"
 #include "ui/base/l10n/time_format.h"
+#include "url/gurl.h"
+#include "url/url_constants.h"
 
 namespace brave_news {
 
@@ -143,15 +146,58 @@ DirectFeedResponse::~DirectFeedResponse() = default;
 DirectFeedResponse::DirectFeedResponse(DirectFeedResponse&&) = default;
 
 DirectFeedFetcher::DirectFeedFetcher(
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
-    : url_loader_factory_(url_loader_factory) {}
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    base::WeakPtr<Delegate> delegate)
+    : url_loader_factory_(url_loader_factory), delegate_(delegate) {}
 DirectFeedFetcher::~DirectFeedFetcher() = default;
 
-void DirectFeedFetcher::DownloadFeed(const GURL& url,
+void DirectFeedFetcher::DownloadFeed(GURL url,
                                      std::string publisher_id,
                                      DownloadFeedCallback callback) {
+  if (url.SchemeIs(url::kHttpScheme)) {
+    content::GetUIThreadTaskRunner({})->PostTask(
+        FROM_HERE,
+        base::BindOnce(
+            [](base::WeakPtr<Delegate> delegate,
+               scoped_refptr<base::SingleThreadTaskRunner> source_task_runner,
+               base::OnceCallback<void(bool)> callback, GURL url) {
+              if (delegate.WasInvalidated()) {
+                return;
+              }
+              bool should_upgrade = delegate->ShouldUpgradeToHttps(url);
+              source_task_runner->PostTask(
+                  FROM_HERE,
+                  base::BindOnce(
+                      [](base::OnceCallback<void(bool)> callback, bool result) {
+                        std::move(callback).Run(result);
+                      },
+                      std::move(callback), should_upgrade));
+            },
+            delegate_, base::SingleThreadTaskRunner::GetCurrentDefault(),
+            base::BindOnce(&DirectFeedFetcher::DownloadFeedHelper,
+                           weak_ptr_factory_.GetWeakPtr(), url, publisher_id,
+                           std::move(callback)),
+            url));
+    return;
+  }
+  DownloadFeedHelper(url, publisher_id, std::move(callback), false);
+}
+
+void DirectFeedFetcher::DownloadFeedHelper(GURL url,
+                                           std::string publisher_id,
+                                           DownloadFeedCallback callback,
+                                           bool should_https_upgrade) {
   // Make request
   auto request = std::make_unique<network::ResourceRequest>();
+  bool https_upgraded = false;
+
+  if (should_https_upgrade) {
+    GURL::Replacements replacements;
+    replacements.SetSchemeStr(url::kHttpsScheme);
+    url = url.ReplaceComponents(replacements);
+    https_upgraded = true;
+  }
+
   request->url = url;
   request->load_flags = net::LOAD_DO_NOT_SAVE_COOKIES;
   request->credentials_mode = network::mojom::CredentialsMode::kOmit;
@@ -164,20 +210,22 @@ void DirectFeedFetcher::DownloadFeed(const GURL& url,
   url_loader->SetTimeoutDuration(GetDefaultRequestTimeout());
   url_loader->SetAllowHttpErrorResults(true);
   auto iter = url_loaders_.insert(url_loaders_.begin(), std::move(url_loader));
+
   iter->get()->DownloadToString(
       url_loader_factory_.get(),
       // Handle response
       base::BindOnce(&DirectFeedFetcher::OnFeedDownloaded,
                      weak_ptr_factory_.GetWeakPtr(), iter, std::move(callback),
-                     url, std::move(publisher_id)),
+                     url, std::move(publisher_id), https_upgraded),
       5 * 1024 * 1024);
 }
 
 void DirectFeedFetcher::OnFeedDownloaded(
     SimpleURLLoaderList::iterator iter,
     DownloadFeedCallback callback,
-    const GURL& feed_url,
+    GURL feed_url,
     std::string publisher_id,
+    bool https_upgraded,
     std::unique_ptr<std::string> response_body) {
   auto* loader = iter->get();
   auto response_code = -1;
@@ -201,6 +249,13 @@ void DirectFeedFetcher::OnFeedDownloaded(
 
   if (response_code < 200 || response_code >= 300 || body_content.empty()) {
     VLOG(1) << feed_url.spec() << " invalid response, state: " << response_code;
+    if (https_upgraded) {
+      GURL::Replacements replacements;
+      replacements.SetSchemeStr(url::kHttpScheme);
+      feed_url = feed_url.ReplaceComponents(replacements);
+      DownloadFeedHelper(feed_url, publisher_id, std::move(callback), false);
+      return;
+    }
     DirectFeedError error;
     error.body_content = std::move(body_content);
     result.result = std::move(error);
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h
index 7e5780aa3fae..5b24e7620f51 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/direct_feed_fetcher.h
@@ -67,25 +67,40 @@ void ConvertFeedDataToArticles(std::vector<mojom::ArticlePtr>& articles,
 
 class DirectFeedFetcher {
  public:
+  class Delegate {
+   public:
+    virtual ~Delegate() = default;
+
+    virtual bool ShouldUpgradeToHttps(const GURL& url) = 0;
+    virtual base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> AsWeakPtr() = 0;
+  };
+
   explicit DirectFeedFetcher(
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+      base::WeakPtr<Delegate> delegate);
   DirectFeedFetcher(const DirectFeedFetcher&) = delete;
   DirectFeedFetcher& operator=(const DirectFeedFetcher&) = delete;
   ~DirectFeedFetcher();
 
   // |publisher_id| can be empty, if one we're speculatively downloading a feed.
   // This |publisher_id| will be used for any returned articles.
-  void DownloadFeed(const GURL& url,
+  void DownloadFeed(GURL url,
                     std::string publisher_id,
                     DownloadFeedCallback callback);
 
  private:
   using SimpleURLLoaderList =
       std::list<std::unique_ptr<network::SimpleURLLoader>>;
+
+  void DownloadFeedHelper(GURL url,
+                          std::string publisher_id,
+                          DownloadFeedCallback callback,
+                          bool should_https_upgrade);
   void OnFeedDownloaded(SimpleURLLoaderList::iterator iter,
                         DownloadFeedCallback callback,
-                        const GURL& feed_url,
+                        GURL feed_url,
                         std::string publisher_id,
+                        bool https_upgraded,
                         const std::unique_ptr<std::string> response_body);
   void OnParsedFeedData(DownloadFeedCallback callback,
                         DirectFeedResponse result,
@@ -94,6 +109,9 @@ class DirectFeedFetcher {
   SimpleURLLoaderList url_loaders_;
 
   scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory_;
+
+  base::WeakPtr<Delegate> delegate_;
+
   base::WeakPtrFactory<DirectFeedFetcher> weak_ptr_factory_{this};
 };
 
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.cc
index 393df43950c7..56d1b662a6c8 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.cc
@@ -34,10 +34,13 @@ namespace brave_news {
 FeedController::FeedController(
     PublishersController* publishers_controller,
     BackgroundHistoryQuerier& history_querier,
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
     : publishers_controller_(publishers_controller),
       history_querier_(history_querier),
-      feed_fetcher_(*publishers_controller, url_loader_factory),
+      feed_fetcher_(*publishers_controller,
+                    url_loader_factory,
+                    direct_feed_fetcher_delegate),
       on_current_update_complete_(new base::OneShotEvent()) {}
 
 FeedController::~FeedController() = default;
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.h b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.h
index 38f719919611..5322912f60c2 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_controller.h
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ class FeedController {
   FeedController(
       PublishersController* publishers_controller,
       BackgroundHistoryQuerier& history_querier,
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+      base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate);
   ~FeedController();
   FeedController(const FeedController&) = delete;
   FeedController& operator=(const FeedController&) = delete;
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.cc
index 7501b40ecd60..d63795360e0a 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.cc
@@ -105,10 +105,11 @@ std::tuple<FeedItems, ETags> FeedFetcher::CombineFeedSourceResults(
 
 FeedFetcher::FeedFetcher(
     PublishersController& publishers_controller,
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
     : publishers_controller_(publishers_controller),
       api_request_helper_(GetNetworkTrafficAnnotationTag(), url_loader_factory),
-      direct_feed_fetcher_(url_loader_factory) {}
+      direct_feed_fetcher_(url_loader_factory, direct_feed_fetcher_delegate) {}
 
 FeedFetcher::~FeedFetcher() = default;
 
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.h b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.h
index a3c07ada6395..fc9a41abc29b 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_fetcher.h
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ class SubscriptionsSnapshot;
 
 class FeedFetcher {
  public:
-  FeedFetcher(
-      PublishersController& publishers_controller,
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+  FeedFetcher(PublishersController& publishers_controller,
+              scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+              base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> delegate);
   ~FeedFetcher();
   FeedFetcher(const FeedFetcher&) = delete;
   FeedFetcher& operator=(const FeedFetcher&) = delete;
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.cc b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.cc
index 17bd59f93e9e..cb5883a2ee2f 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.cc
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.cc
@@ -613,11 +613,14 @@ FeedV2Builder::FeedV2Builder(
     ChannelsController& channels_controller,
     SuggestionsController& suggestions_controller,
     BackgroundHistoryQuerier& history_querier,
-    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory)
+    scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+    base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate)
     : publishers_controller_(publishers_controller),
       channels_controller_(channels_controller),
       suggestions_controller_(suggestions_controller),
-      fetcher_(publishers_controller, url_loader_factory),
+      fetcher_(publishers_controller,
+               url_loader_factory,
+               direct_feed_fetcher_delegate),
       topics_fetcher_(url_loader_factory),
       signal_calculator_(publishers_controller,
                          channels_controller,
diff --git a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.h b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.h
index fd295f616f8d..4770e4d4143e 100644
--- a/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.h
+++ b/components/brave_news/browser/feed_v2_builder.h
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ class FeedV2Builder {
       ChannelsController& channels_controller,
       SuggestionsController& suggestions_controller,
       BackgroundHistoryQuerier& history_querier,
-      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory);
+      scoped_refptr<network::SharedURLLoaderFactory> url_loader_factory,
+      base::WeakPtr<DirectFeedFetcher::Delegate> direct_feed_fetcher_delegate);
   FeedV2Builder(const FeedV2Builder&) = delete;
   FeedV2Builder& operator=(const FeedV2Builder&) = delete;
   ~FeedV2Builder();