Facebook invests in SA newsrooms

Jenna Delport

Facebook Journalism Project (FJP) has announced that it will invest $390 000 to help South African news organizations navigate the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.

  As part of these funds, Facebook will work with the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ), a non-profit organisation with a history of working with publishers across the world.

  ICFJ will provide $140 000 in these grants to South African publishers, as well as a $250 000 video training programme for 10 000 journalists across the continent covering Covid-19 through video reporting.

  Facebook Africa strategic media partnerships manager Jocelyne Muhutu Remy says the news industry is working under extraordinary conditions to keep people informed during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

  “As people turn to local journalists for critical information on how to keep their friends, families and communities safe, these journalists are affected especially in the current economic crisis,” she says.

  ICFJ’s VP of programmes Johanna Carrillo says Sub-Saharan Africa’s newsrooms will need to play a key role in informing the public in a highly vulnerable region. 

  “With this new grant from the Facebook Journalism Project, we can build on our work together helping newsrooms and publishers in the region at this difficult time,” she adds.

  This investment builds upon Facebook’s on-going Covid-19 centred work in South Africa and across the continent, which includes launching the Coronavirus Information Centre on the platform, as well as Covid-19 Connect, a WhatsApp-based health helpline developed in partnership with the Minister of Health and local Facebook partner, Praekelt. IT News Africa