Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios
Facebook will release today a list of the 400 local newsrooms receiving grants from its Facebook Journalism Project's "Community Network" program to support coronavirus news coverage.
Why it matters: Local newsrooms desperately need the money. Facebook said it received over 200 applications within the first 48 hours of the program being announced.
Examples include:
- Albuquerque Journal, NM: Their reporting shows that the virus is affecting the people of the Navajo Nation more than four times the rest of the country.
- Detour Detroit, MI: The grants will support virtual events in and around Detroit in the midst of coronavirus.
The big picture: Facebook last week said it would give out an additional $25 million to a "COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund" designed to provide grants for U.S. local news organizations, as part of a $100 million commitment to news companies during the crisis.
What's next: Facebook executives tell Axios that applications for the grants of $25k-$100k will open April 13 and will be reviewed by a judging committee.
- The committee will be made up of people from the Local Media Association (LMA), Local Media Consortium (LMC), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION), the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and Facebook.