Facebook and the Foundation for Excellent Journalism Award on Wednesday last week announced a new digital training program for local and alternative media, marking the first time that the US tech giant is to directly fund the promotion of local reporting in Taiwan.
After three years of collaboration, the Facebook Journalism Project and the foundation would hold a series of workshops throughout this month for small media firms focusing on local communities and other topics outside the mainstream, the organizations said.
Experts would teach reporters how to reach more people through technology and digital platforms, as well as hone their digital skills, they said.
Photo: Hu Shun-hsiang, Taipei Times
Participating media would be encouraged to create reporting plans and apply for grants to develop more content that aligns with the public interest and reflects diverse voices in society, they added.
“The Internet and digital platforms are a lifeline for local media,” foundation chief executive Eve Chiu (邱家宜) said.
The program is to accelerate the digital transformation of Taiwanese media and help organizations continue to provide quality reporting on issues overlooked by mainstream media, she said.
“We are looking forward to the professional experiences shared in these workshops helping media operate more steadily, while also creating a more diverse and prosperous journalism environment in Taiwan,” she added.
Facebook has long supported Taiwanese media with trainings and resources provided through the journalism project, said Wu Tzu-min (吳子敏), who manages Facebook’s media partnerships in the region.
This is the first time that the social media giant is to provide grants specifically for local and diverse media in Taiwan, Wu said.
The project also shows Facebook’s intent to invest more resources in the long-term development of Taiwan’s news industry, while continuing to encourage the development of quality journalism and accelerating the digital transformation of news media, she added.
Facebook has since 2019 been supporting the foundation’s work in encouraging a standard of excellence and professionalism in Taiwanese journalism.
Last year, Facebook encouraged the foundation to establish its Innovation in Journalism Award to inspire journalists to utilize technology and diverse media formats to enhance viewers’ understanding of the news.
Facebook also provides award finalists with CrowdTangle training, which teaches journalists to use the firm’s public data analysis tools to find stories, and track and analyze trends.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS