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Join TSPR for a weekly conversation about media issues. News Director Rich Egger and expert panelists discuss what’s in the news about the news business.

Facebook Says It Will Support Journalism Financially

Facebook has pledged to invest $100 million in the news industry. This is according to an article in The Verge, which said the investment comes at a time when the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that accurate reporting is more important than ever.

$25 million will be provided in grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, while the remaining $75 million will come in the form of “additional marketing spend” to worldwide news organizations.

The Shop Talk panelists said social media platforms have a history of aggregating news from various sites. They hope the money does end in local newsrooms rather than in more aggregation.

Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues.  This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.