Facebook to launch project to upskill journalists

Facebook Journalism Project, a programme by popular social networking site Facebook, has partnered with the Center for Investigative Reporting and Center for Communication Action Bangladesh to upskill over 1,000 local journalists.

The programme, Facebook Fundamentals for News, will be delivered completely digitally via BigSpring, mobile skilling platform partner.

The mobile curriculum, available in both English and Bengali, includes skills on online safety, best practices on Facebook, and how to best leverage video on the platform. The programme can be accessed via mobile and web, said a press release.

The Facebook Journalism Project works with publishers around the world to strengthen the connection between journalists and the communities they serve. It also helps address the news industry's core business challenges.

"We are committed to supporting quality journalism and providing tools and training to journalists globally," said Anjali Kapoor, Director of News Partnerships, Facebook Asia Pacific. “This partnership was developed after speaking with the news community and our partners in APAC who had identified the need to support the region’s journalists with foundational skills so they can use Facebook more effectively. We hope that this programme can help journalists to adapt digitally, and create more informed and engaged communities across the news ecosystem.”

Zain Mahmood, Executive Director at Center for Communication Action Bangladesh explained, “We welcome the support of Facebook to bring a curriculum that can help improve the social media skills of our journalists and strengthen the foundation of reporting across the country. The fact that we can make this available via a mobile platform, through BigSpring’s technology, ensures that the programme can reach more journalists across the country more rapidly. The impact of this programme starts immediately.”

Dilrukshi Handunetti, Executive Director of Center for Investigative Reporting said, “This collaboration provides the opportunity for us to nurture the next generation of journalists, and equip them with best practices of working across platforms and new ways of storytelling. It will enable us to support the work of local journalists and newsrooms as they tell in-depth and ground-breaking stories that engage and empower communities.”

Bhakti Vithalani, the Founder and CEO of BigSpring added, “We are delighted to provide the mobile platform that puts digital skills into the hands of journalists in Bangladesh. BigSpring’s platform enables users to access bite-sized content and engage in learning communities to gain skills proficiency. Our mobile-first, multilingual platform provides easy access and ensures journalists in Bangladesh can continue their important work. We are proud to be a partner in this endeavor.”

Journalists can register for this programme using iOS and Android phones. The curriculum follows Facebook Journalism Project’s commitment to Bangladeshi journalists, which also includes other training programmess, such as the recent launch of Reuters Digital Journalism Course to enhance reporting

skills.

Since launching the Facebook Journalism Project, Facebook has collaborated with hundreds of publishers around the globe to create a dialogue around how they use its products and how it could make improvements to better support publishers' needs.