FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Rebecca Baker, SPJ National President, 203-640-3904, rbaker@spj.org
Jennifer Royer, SPJ Communications Strategist, 317-361-4134, jroyer@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists and the Facebook Journalism Project are partnering to offer free training to journalists to improve digital storytelling.

SPJ will train journalism professionals to teach Facebook tools to other journalists in newsrooms, classrooms, journalism institutions and conferences. Those trainers will then participate in a "Train-the-Trainers" summit March 5 and 6 in New York, where sessions will include tools for journalists, including Live, groups, video, insights and safety features.

"One of SPJ's greatest strengths is to give journalists the training they need to be successful, and this is just the latest example," said SPJ National President Rebecca Baker. "We’re thrilled to partner with the Facebook Journalism Project and expand the tools we offer journalists across the country."

The SPJ Training Program in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project will offer the free training to as many journalists as possible. To request a training for your newsroom or organization, visit spj.org/facebook.asp. Some of the early training sessions will take place at select SPJ Regional Conferences this spring.

"The Society of Professional Journalists has done admirable work in strengthening newsrooms by training thousands of journalists across the country," said Campbell Brown, head of News Partnerships for Facebook. "We're proud to create an active community of trainers who can share expertise about the tools Facebook offers for reporting and storytelling."

This partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project is the most recent in a series of other SPJ training initiatives, including the annual Excellence in Journalism conference, JournCamps, Ted Scripps Leadership Institute and a wide array of online tools and resources available via its eCampus, as well as a partnership with Google News Lab and a long list of member benefit partnership programs.



SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

The Facebook Journalism Project was created in January 2017 to ensure that quality news thrives on Facebook. FJP focuses on three pillars: collaborative development of new products; tools and trainings for newsrooms; and tools and trainings for people.

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