Facebook has recently announced they will be making a $1 million donation to NewsMatch, a national campaign supporting local news, as part of their Facebook Journalism Project.

BenitoLink has been approved by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) as a recipient of NewsMatch this fall and will be eligible for matching funds. In 2017, that amount was $28,000, the number has not been announced yet for 2018. NewsMatch is a nationwide effort to help independent nonprofit journalism continue to grow and provide regional community news. 

According to a statement provided by Facebook, their journalism project works to establish stronger ties between Facebook and the news industry by "collaborating with news organizations to develop products, learning from journalists about ways we can be a better partner, and working with publishers and educators on how we can equip people with the knowledge they need to be informed readers in the digital age."

"NewsMatch was founded as a way to highlight and support the critical role of journalism in our democracy,” said Josh Stearns, director of the Public Square Program at Democracy Fund, one of the NewsMatch partners. "By doubling donations to quality reporting, NewsMatch 2018 will help people invest in powerful stories from around the country that would otherwise go untold. We are glad to have Facebook join this effort.”

Some INN members have criticized and questioned Facebook's handling of news content covering politics in several other public forums including INN Days.

"While Facebook's handling of news remains a work in progress, this represents a terrific increase in their support of independent public service publishers," said INN Executive Director and CEO Sue Cross.