The Facebook Journalism Project is partnering with the International News Media Association (INMA) on a program that will give U.S. local news publishers free membership in one of the world’s leading news industry organizations. The program will provide publishers access to INMA’s Readers First Initiative as well as connections with global experts to discuss ideas and business solutions.
INMA’s first-class reader revenue research, webinars, and the global community will give publishers the insight and support they need to advance a sustainable business model and keep serving the communities that need them most.
The partnership will connect 20 U.S. media companies with INMA’s global membership and innovation network for up to two years of unlimited access to the full benefits of INMA corporate members. The Facebook Journalism Project will provide a full year of INMA corporate membership free followed by a second discounted year.
Qualifying news media companies may apply for the Readers First Experience by clicking here. The deadline for applications is Thursday, 11 June 2020.
“Citizens around the United States are turning to their local news organizations to make sense of the staggering challenges all around them while, at the same time, news organizations are turning to reader revenue strategies to make the journalism their communities need possible,” said David Grant, program manager for the Facebook Journalism Project’s Accelerator program. “INMA’s first-class reader revenue research, Webinars and the global community will give publishers the insight and support they need to advance a sustainable business model and keep serving the communities that need them most.”
The two-year-old Readers First Initiative aims to surface global best practices in the art and science behind digital subscriptions for news media companies and create a road map toward the next generation of consumer monetization. Specifically, INMA will debut several ‘masterclasses’ as an opportunity for its members to accelerate their skills in digital reader revenue. The initiative is headed by Greg Piechota, researcher-in-residence at INMA, and a frequent speaker in Facebook’s Local News Accelerator program.
This initiative marks five years of partnership between the Facebook Journalism Project and INMA and signals an evolving approach to third-party industry partnerships. “This is precisely the sort of collaboration we hope to do more of,” said Benjamin Wagner, global programs lead. “INMA’s Readers First Initiative provides immediate relief and resources to drive the capacity, community, and collaboration news leaders need right now.”
