Apr 3, 2017 - Technology

Facebook helps launch $14 million news literacy program

Alessio Jacona / Flickr cc

Facebook is teaming up with several along with several journalism foundations and internet tech companies in an effort to improve online news literacy and increase trust in journalism. The News Integrity Initiative, a $14 million investment run by the CUNY's Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, will fund research and projects and convene meetings with industry experts. Besides Facebook, other funders include Mozilla, AppNexus, Betaworks, the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Tow Foundation.

Why it matters: Since its fake news saga during the election, Facebook has taken numerous steps to prove it's serious about promoting good journalism. In taking these steps, Zuckerberg is positioning his tech company to become a global social infrastructure organization, a vision he laid out in a sweeping manifesto last month.

What's next: The Initiative has already signed on 19 contributing groups, ranging from PR firms Edelman and Weber Shandwick to schools like Arizona State University, that will host events around the world to promote news literacy. The initiative also aims to find additional funders and participants as it grows internationally.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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