Facebook is in talks with three local newspaper publishers in Britain over a radical plan to help fund journalism in an attempt to clean up its toxic reputation. The US social media giant is understood to be working with Johnston Press, Newsquest and Reach, owner of the Daily Mirror, on a scheme that would see it invest in training reporters. The move, which echoes the BBC’s Local News Partnerships model, will be seen as a tacit admission of culpability for the damage Facebook has inflicted on Britain’s regional newspaper industry. The talks come as Dame Frances Cairncross leads a government inquiry into the sustainability of quality journalism. A senior industry source said it was a “dishonest” ploy to fend off the threat of tighter regulation…

Source: The Times November 18, 2018 00:15 UTC