Facebook’s effort to establish a service that provides users with local news and information is being hindered by the lack of outlets where the company’s technicians can find original reporting.
Some 1,800 newspapers have closed in the US over the last 15 years, according to the University of North Carolina. Newsroom employment has declined by 45% as the industry struggles with a broken business model partly caused by the success of companies on the internet – including Facebook.
The Facebook service, called Today In and launched last year, is available in some 400 cities in the US. It collects news stories from local outlets along with government and community groups. The company deems a community unsuitable for Today In if it cannot find a single day in a month with at least five news items available to share.
But the social media giant said it has found that 40% of Americans live in places where there are not enough local news stories to support it.
Facebook announced on Monday it would share its research with academics at Duke, Harvard, Minnesota and North Carolina who are studying the extent of news deserts created by newspaper closures and staff downsizing.
The percentage of news deserts is higher in the north-east and midwest, at 43%, Facebook said. In the south and west, the figure is 38%.
“It affirms the fact that we have a real lack of original local reporting,” said Penelope Muse Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor. She said she hopes the data helps pinpoint areas where the need is greatest, leading to ideas for solutions.
Facebook does not necessarily have the answers.
“Everyone can learn from working together,” said Ann Kornblut, director of news initiatives at the company.
Facebook plans to award 100 grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, to people with ideas for making more news available, said Jimmy O’Keefe, product marketing manager for Today In. That is on top of $300m in grants announced in January to help programs and partnerships designed to boost local news.
The company does not plan to launch newsgathering efforts of its own, Kornblut said.
“Our history has been – and we will probably stick to it – to let journalists do what they do well and let us support them and let them do their work,” she said.