https://www.nbcnews.com/card/facebook-f ... re-n880556
Facebook funds news shows from ABC, Fox, CNN and more
Facebook is now a news producer, financially at least.
The social network on Wednesday announced its first major foray into funding journalism with a series of video news programs from a variety of media companies.
If that sounds to be a scary prospect, the social media giant points out in a new blog that the editorial content is up to the partners involved. Will Facebook be willing to fund news that might be critical of its own practices? That's not been addressed.
The social media giant, which has been under fire for sharing user data with Chinese device makers and for allowing fake news to proliferate on the platform, is funding shows from Fox News and ABC News, among others.
The news partnerships are aimed at boosting traffic to its video destination, Watch, which has so far seen only modest success. It is also aimed at addressing criticism that it hasn't done enough to support journalism.
The shows will air in the summer and other partners are expected to join the experiment, according to the blog note from Campbell Brown, Facebook's head of global partnerships. Noticeably absent from the first group are NBC News and CBS News.
Here are the partners as listed on the Facebook blog. The shows will be ad supported. It's not clear how much Facebook is paying these partners.
- ABC News' “On Location” [wt] is a daily news show with ABC News journalists from around the globe delivering on-the-ground reporting and the top headlines that are driving the day.
- Advance Local's “Chasing Corruption” will feature some of America’s toughest watchdog journalists — and the stories of conspiracy, bribery and fraud they’ve uncovered.
- ATTN:'s “Undivided ATTN:” is a weekly explainer show that breaks down the biggest issue of the week. In 3-5 minute episodes hosted by a rotating cast of social influencers, Undivided ATTN: will provide context on the stories everybody's talking about.
- CNN's “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” is a daily global brief on the world featuring Anderson Cooper and a roster of guests. The interactive program will air live from Anderson’s New York City newsroom in mobile-friendly vertical video.
- FOX News' “Fox News Update” will focus on up-to-the minute breaking news and the most compelling stories of the day. FNC’s chief news anchor Shepard Smith will report the latest news each weekday afternoon, with Carley Shimkus updating viewers every morning.
- Mic's “Mic Dispatch” reveals the world as we see it: complicated, diverse and full of potential. Mic correspondents on this new, twice-weekly show go beyond the headlines to profile the underrepresented, the problem-solvers and the provocateurs.
- Univision's “Real America with Jorge Ramos” features Ramos traveling the country to talk to immigrants of diverse backgrounds and situations, delivering a rarely covered view of today’s America from their perspective. Univision will also cover the top stories in Spanish at noon every day on Watch with “Noticiero Univision Edición Digital.”
