LCCC’s student media to host social media training with the Facebook Journalism Project

CHEYENNE, WYOMING – The Facebook Journalism Project will host a free training on how to best leverage the social media giant’s tools and platform to keep audiences informed at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, in the ANB Bank Center at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Journalists, communication specialists, and the public are encouraged to attend the free 90-minute training, which is organized by LCCC Wingspan Student Media and the Society of Professional Journalists. Attendees will learn how to use Facebook and Instagram’s many tools, including Live, Groups, Video, Insights and Safety features.

"SPJ and Facebook plan to conduct a training session in each state this year and the two organizations look forward to the Sept. 14 program in Cheyenne," said Ed Otte, SPJ Region 9 Coordinator for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. "This is an opportunity for journalists, regardless of their medium, to enhance their research and reporting skills."

The training will be led by Faith Sidlow, an award-winning broadcast journalist with three decades of experience in television and radio news. She is an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno, where she teaches broadcast and multimedia journalism. She oversees production of the student-run Fresno State Focus TV newscast and Fresno State Focus Radio Edition on 90.7 KFSR.

Attendees should RSVP by Sept. 10 to Wingspan adviser Jake Sherlock at jsherlocFREELARAMIE or by phone at 307-778-1109. Attendees will be asked to fill out a pre-training questionnaire. A free lunch, sponsored by Wingspan, will also be included.

The Facebook Journalism Project was created in January 2017 to ensure that quality news thrives on Facebook. FJP focuses on three pillars: collaborative development of new products; tools and trainings for newsrooms; and tools and trainings for people.

In 2018, Facebook partnered with SPJ to train a network of professionals to teach Facebook Tools for Journalists at conferences, workshops and newsrooms around the country. Facebook and SPJ are committed to creating opportunities for journalists everywhere to learn about the ways Facebook tools can help create and share incredible works of journalism, as well as engaging the public in the stories about their communities.

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

For more information about the partnership between SPJ and Facebook, go to spj.org/facebook.asp. To learn more about the Facebook Journalism Project, go to facebook.com/facebookmedia/get-started/facebook-journalism-project.