Facebook says its local newsgathering service hindered by lack of local news outlets

Facebook’s effort to establish a service that provides its users with local news and information is being hindered by a lack of outlets where the company’s technicians can find original reporting. The service, called "Today In" and launched in 2018, is available in some 400 cities in the United States. But the social media giant said it has found that 40% of Americans live in places where there weren’t enough local news stories to support it. Facebook announced it would share its research with academics at Duke, Harvard, and the universities of Minnesota and North Carolina who are studying the extent of news deserts created by newspaper closures and staff downsizing. Some 1,800 newspapers have closed in the United States over the last 15 years, according to the University of North Carolina. The company plans to award some 100 grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, to people with ideas for making more news available, said Josh Mabry, head of local news partnerships for Facebook. That comes on top of $300 million in grants Facebook announced in January to help programs and partnerships designed to boost local news.