Facebook pledges £4.5 million to train local journalists in UK, a world first

Facebook has launched a £4.5 million ($6 million) fund to train around 80 new local journalists in the UK as part of a new “Community News Project.” The goal, according to Facebook, is to encourage more reporting from towns that have lost their local newspapers and reporters. “Community news is shared widely on Facebook, on pages and in community groups, and this collaboration will help us reach communities which don’t currently benefit from in-depth community news,” said Karyn Fleeting, head of audience at newspaper publisher Reach PLC. The money will be made available via the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), and it will be divided among local publishers in order to recruit trainees. According to The Guardian,... Continue reading…