• by Sara Guaglione , July 11, 2018

McClatchy and BuzzFeed are launching a series on Facebook Watch this summer, joining a growing list of publishers experimenting with production on Facebook's dedicated video site.

McClatchy will premiere a 10-part documentary series on Facebook Watch in November, around Veteran’s Day. “The War Within” will chronicle the lives of retired veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who help other vets cope with the effects of war.

“The series will follow America’s next generation of leaders as they forge a path toward healing and positive change for veterans in local communities across the country,” according to McClatchy. Over half of its 30 local newsrooms are located within an hour of a U.S. military base.

“These are local stories that will resonate with a national audience when told with the richness and context of our local perspective,” stated Jonathan Forsythe, director of editorial video at McClatchy.  

The show will live in a new dedicated Facebook Watch section for shows produced exclusively for Facebook by news publishers.

Each 8-12 minute episode of "The War Within" will air weekly.

This isn’t McClatchy’s first show on Facebook Watch. A two-season documentary series with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “Titletown, TX,” has attracted more than 48 million views since its premiere in August 2017 and won three Emmys.

McClatchy publishes TheMiami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The Raleigh News & Observer, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

BuzzFeed is also launching a show on Facebook Watch. Hosted by Audie Cornish, co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” the show will be recorded in front of a live studio audience and feature a different figure each week in politics, tech, business and entertainment.

The weekly interview show will be called “Profile by BuzzFeed News.”

BuzzFeed News editor-in-chief Ben Smith called Corish a defining voice on public radio and touted her hosting abilities to a "new audience, on a new kind of interview show for Facebook Watch."

NowThis has also produced a daily news show for Facebook Watch called “NowThis Morning." It focuses on breaking news and topical stories for young audiences.

Yesterday, Publishers Daily reported Bloomberg is launching its first Facebook Watch series this summer to teach millennials about finance, “At What Cost?”