CLEARFIELD – GANT News is pleased to announce that it’s been recognized as one of 400 North American newsrooms chosen to be a recipient of the Facebook Journalism Project grant in support of its COVID-19 (coronavirus) coverage.
The Facebook Journalism Project announced on Tuesday that 400 newsrooms throughout 48 U.S. states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and several provinces and territories in Canada have been selected to receive a $5,000 grant.
These funds will be used to help cover unexpected costs associated with reporting on the crisis in their communities. The program is run in partnership with the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Local Media Association in the United States and News Media Canada and The Independent News Challenge in Canada.
A total of 18 newsrooms in Pennsylvania were awarded the grant. GANT News was the only news source selected in Clearfield County. One neighboring local newsroom in Jefferson County, The Punxsutawney Spirit, is also a recipient.
“We’re very grateful that the Facebook Journalism Project and its partners recognized GANT’s timely coverage and contribution to Clearfield County,” says Christene Dahlem, president of GANT Media LLC.
Since the virus outbreak hit Pennsylvania and home in March, GANT has:
- published an open letter to its readers outlining the importance of local media. Read it here.
- staff working countless, additional hours to provide timely reports to keep members of its local communities up to date.
- created a public Facebook group to disseminate critical and factual news updates affecting the residents of Clearfield County. The organization’s dedicated staff of reporters and key local officials have volunteered to help moderate the group and answer any questions. The public can join the group here.
Readers can also sign up for GANT’s Breaking News Alerts here.
The Facebook Journalism Grant will help support more local reporting from the news team, will increase frequency of publishing new content, help combat misinformation and will help the staff explore more into the local impact that COVID-19 has had on communities.
A complete list of newsroom recipients can be found here.