Facebook has always denied being a media organization, but its influence over the news industry is undeniable.
Now, the company is taking more responsibility over its role and is launching a new initiative called the Journalism Project, to improve ties with the media.
The social media giant’s project has three aspects. First is the development of news “products” between Facebook and media outlets, such as new storytelling formats. Facebook also offered the example of a German media outlet that developed a free subscription trial period for Facebook users.
Next is a plan to offer tools and “best practices” training to journalists. This includes collaborations with the Knight Foundation, the Detroit Journalism Cooperative and the Institute for Nonprofit News. In addition, a Facebook-owned tool called CrowdTangle, which measures social performance, will now be free to Facebook’s media partners.
The final focus is on Facebook’s readers, with an emphasis on promoting media literacy. Facebook pointed to new tools designed to make it easier to report bogus news stories, along with its efforts to remove financial incentives that motivate spamming, and a collaboration with third-party fact-checking groups to help identify hoaxes.
