Community news reporters whose roles are set to disappear have shared their sadness at the decision to stop funding them.

Journalists who are employed by regional newsrooms under the scheme have joined industry bosses’ criticism of Facebook owner Meta’s withdrawal of funding for the scheme, which currently supports around 100 jobs.

The scheme was set up five years ago with the twin aims of increasing the coverage of underserved communities across the country and recruiting reporters from more diverse backgrounds.

Many of the 100 reporters are on a two-year contract leading up to the Level 5 qualification, the  Diploma in Journalism. Although these contracts will be honoured, the withdrawal of funding means that their contracts won’t be renewed for the Level 6 qualification – the National Qualification in Journalism.

Reach plc has described the move by Meta as “cynical”, while Iliffe Media editorial director Ian Carter called it “disappointing” and said he had been “slightly cynical about the platform’s commitment to the project”.

Will Luker, pictured, who has worked for Gloucestershire Live under the scheme since May 2022, wrote on X: “‘Cynical’ and ‘disappointing’ are exactly the words I would use.”

Edinburgh Live news reporter Jacob Farr, who began his career on the scheme in 2019, added: “I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity this scheme gave me.

“I don’t think I’d ever have had a chance in hell in entering an industry dominated by the middle and upper classes without it. Although imperfect it did open doors for those from underserved communities.”

And Adam Nixon, who was a community news reporter on the Southern Daily Echo before moving to work in media for Havant & Waterlooville Football Club, said: “It was the door that got me into the newsroom for my media career – sad to see it not being renewed.

“It was a fantastic scheme which gave me essential newsroom experience and people skills at the Daily Echo.”

The National Council for the Training of Journalists, which has administered the Community News Project, has said it is “currently exploring ways to secure the project’s legacy and take it forward into the future, in partnership with regional news publishers”.

Meta itself pointed out it has spent $17m on the Community News Project, which has trained and funded more than 260 journalists over the course of five years.