Facebook publishes online courses for journalists to learn how to manage the social network
Facebook has launched a new educational platform for journalists. The courses of this platform have been divided into lessons of a few minutes and have been created with the help of Poynter, so that journalists can incorporate social tools into their work. These tools include Instagram, Facebook Live and 360-degree videos and images.
Keep in mind that this platform is not a Facebok guide on how to be a journalist. All the concepts given to the student have to do with the use of social networks within journalism, and at no time is there an emphasis on basic aspects such as journalistic integrity or how to conduct an interview correctly.
Upon completion of the first course (at least in the tests we have done), the user is given a certificate that they have completed it, but in the second we already see a small final test to evaluate what they have learned. The questions range from technical aspects (for example, how much time you can broadcast in a live video), to random questions about Facebook functions (such as the advantages of transmitting using the Live API).
The impression that we have taken is that perhaps, more than journalists, this certification can be more directed to community managers, who as a rule are those who are responsible for carrying the social part of the media. The main emphasis of the course seems to be focused on optimizing the social interaction with the content, something that is not usually the work of the editors.
As they point out in media such as The Verge , we may see editors in the future who self-proclaim journalists certified by Facebook . Can this be used as a plus when reaffirming as a professional with the whole matter of false news still very present?
It is worth remembering that three months ago Facebook announced that it would work with journalists to create a healthy news ecosystem, and perhaps training them in the social aspects of the writing is a first step that the company of Mark Zuckerberg view with good eyes.
