What We Know About 'The Facebook Journalism Project'

Facebook announced Wednesday the creation of "The Facebook Journalism Project," a new program that will create stronger links between the social media platform and the news industry.

Facebook Director of Product Fidji Simo explained in a blog post that the company will be collaborating with news organizations to develop products and, perhaps more importantly, play a role in equipping people with the knowledge needed to be informed in the digital age.

How It Will Work

The new initiative will work in three ways:

1. News Products: Facebook will connect its product and engineering teems so that it can build an even deeper collaboration with news organizations. Facebook wants to work with news partners to deliver news content that best suits its user base needs, whether it is a live video or in the form of articles.
Training and Tools: Facebook will conduct a series of e-learning courses on its products, tools and services for journalists. To support this, the company acquired CrowdTange, a tool to surface stories, measure the social performance and identify influencers.
2. Training For Everyone: Facebook will work with third party organizations with the objective of promoting news literacy and eliminating the spread of news hoaxes or fake news.