The Facebook Journalism Project is investing $5 million to support diversity and entrepreneurship programs at local newsrooms.
A blog post from Jason White, director of news partnerships; Dorrine Mendoza, local news partnerships; and David Grant, Accelerator program manager, reads:
“Local news organizations across America are doing tremendous work under extremely challenging conditions. As COVID-19 has upended advertising revenue, local newsrooms have worked tirelessly to keep their communities informed about the pandemic, the continued fight against racial injustice, natural disasters and the upcoming U.S. election.”
Facebook will be directing the funding towards news organizations that serve “historically marginalized communities” and to programs “that focus on the business skills individuals need to run successful, independent news organizations.”
The tech giant is also supporting the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program, a 100-day online certificate course where participants will work on developing “niche ventures into sustainable businesses.”
