Facebook said it plans to invest $100 million to support news organizations affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Campbell Brown, Facebook vice president of global news partnerships, announced this week that the company plans to provide $25 million in emergency grants via the Facebook Journalism Project and $75 million in marketing.
Ms. Brown, former CNN personality, wrote that the first round of grant funding would go to 50 local newsrooms in the United States and Canada.
“Through the COVID-19 Community Network grant program, direct funding is helping journalists cover important stories when we all need them most,” Ms. Brown wrote on Facebook’s blog. “We’re building on this work and will direct a portion of these funds to publishers most in need in the hardest hit countries.”
She added, “If people needed more proof that local journalism is a vital public service, they’re getting it now.”
Ms. Brown wrote Facebook recognizes it is “in a more privileged position than most” and intended the $100 million to build upon its existing $300 million news programs and partnerships.
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Facebook has also created a $1 million grant program for the International Fact-Checking Network to upgrade its capacity during the coronavirus crisis and it has teamed with Google, Microsoft, Reddit, and Twitter to fight misinformation together across their platforms.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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