Facebook is not solely responsible for decimating the newspaper industry, but it certainly played an overwhelming role in the demise of journalism and local news; the kind of local news the platform would ideally like to publish in its local news section.
Now, with an unmistakable air of irony, Facebook has disclosed that about 40 percent of the country has no local news to draw from for the local news section of Facebook.
The service, launched last year, is currently available in some 400 cities in the United States. But the social media giant said it has found that 40 percent of Americans live in places where there weren’t enough local news stories to support it. [...]
The Facebook service, called ”Today In ,” collects news stories from various 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.
There’s not a wide geographical disparity. For example, the percentage of news deserts is higher in the Northeast and Midwest, at 43 percent, Facebook said. In the South and West, the figure is 38 percent.
Facebook is quick to point out that it has awarded $300 million in grants to individuals who have "ideas" for promoting local news, whateverthefuck that means, but I find that to be pathetic if not insulting.
Facebook is one of the richest companies on the planet and could simply fund newsrooms itself if they wanted to. But that is not their business model. Their business model is in using what others have done and then selling their own ads based on it.
Facebook's wrath extends beyond local news and is, as many of you know, almost entirely responsible for The Daily Banter's transition from a daily publication to a newsletter.
I disabled my Facebook account in 2010 for personal reasons and I have never regretted it.