Facebook Wants to Share More Local News but Is Having Trouble Finding It

Facebook Wants to Share More Local News but Is Having Trouble Finding It Facebook technicians are facing
difficulties with their ‘Today In’
service because of an inability
to find reporting on a local level. The service was launched
in 2018 and is available in
400 cities in the United States. It collects news stories
from local outlets, community
groups and government. 40% of Americans live in places
where there isn’t enough local
news to support the service. In the last 15 years, over 1,800
newspapers have closed in the U.S. Newsroom employment has
declined by 45%, partly because
of the rise in online reporting. Anne Kornblut, director of news
initiatives at Facebook, says the
company will offer financial support,
rather than take direct action. Anne Kornblut, via NBC News Facebook plans to award
100 grants, ranging from
$5,000 to $25,000, to individuals
that pose a solution to this issue. In January, they also announced
a plan to give $300 million in grants
to help programs and partnerships
focused on boosting local news.