Digital News Initiatives shaping the Future of the ESIPosted by Hyldgaard Post on May 20th, 2021 The Digital News Initiative (DNI) is a European organisation established by Google to support high quality journalism across the continent. It encompasses an "innovation fund" of rounder billion, which in its first year issued 23 grants to news organisations across Europe. Although funded largely in part by Google it also enjoys backing from several major newspapers and media groups including the Guardian and La Stampa. This article will focus on one of DNI's most popular projects, the "New Journalism" project. According to the digital news initiative's brochure the organisation has set out to "reinvent the foundation of news". The aim is to create a new type of digital news reader that "uses the power of the web to transform the way people get and deliver news". The initiative claims to have designed a reader which "will combine personalised content with the richness of internet experience, while providing vital information in a clear, simple and engaging way". The target market for the reader has been grouped as "readers who want the convenience of online news, along with the experience of traditional print". The "New Journalism" project therefore intends to create a digital news reader with all the benefits of traditional journalism, but with additional features such as search engines, social networking tools, instant publication, and photo galleries. The idea is to make digital news more like regular print and include elements not found in other forms of media such as video and illustrations. The hope is that this new form of digital news journalism will take off in its own little piece - just as news organizations like the New York Times have done in recent years. This time however they have the backing of a major company, Google. It is believed that Google co-chairs the new digital news initiative with the French newspaper Le Monde. A working group has been set up to implement the ideas and to gather opinions from all involved. It is hoped that this working group will succeed in creating something that can be used by news organizations across the globe. Details of the working group have yet to be released, but it is understood that it is likely to be an informal team led by a senior editor. Details are also emerging regarding the editorial policies and procedures that will be put in place, and it is hoped that these will be in tandem with Google's efforts to increase the diversity of women in the field. News organizations have long complained that they are struggling to meet deadlines and produce high quality content in a timely manner. This can become even more problematic in the coming months and years, as traditional forms of European journalism are affected by the digital news revolution. agency allows news organizations to publish their stories directly on the internet without the unnecessary intervention of a print or broadcast staff. The flexibility that this type of publication offers makes it appealing to a wide variety of newspapers and magazines in Europe. It is an innovation that may ultimately lead to the worldwide adoption of a single platform for publishing news stories. The increasing number of female journalists in major cities around the world has played a large part in encouraging the growth of the digital news initiative. Many businesses in Europe feel that there are limitations to the gender balance in their workplace due to the relatively high numbers of men who work in the finance, banking, and insurance industries. In some cities, this imbalance is leading to a lack of diversity within these sectors. Some business interests are now pushing for major changes in the way that European journalism is covered by mainstream media outlets. They are urging the consolidation of resources to ensure that a greater portion of the audience can be reached by media professionals. One group of editors has come up with a plan that would allow publishers to increase the diversity of their distribution services. The European Journalist's Labelled Contributor (ERL) Platform provides a mechanism for European online publishers to make a more diverse selection of newsworthy articles to be published online. The plan calls for the European Journalist's Lab to be linked to the European Journalist's Register, an online repository. This will allow interested parties to contribute to the development of European journalism. Another way that digital news is making its mark on the global scene this year is through the establishment of the European Working Group on International Reporting. Working as a Secretariat for the ERI, the group brings together representatives from several national and international journalism organizations, including the UNESCO, World Wildlife Fund, AP, and others. By convening representatives from these organizations, the Working Group on International Reporting hopes to raise awareness about the need for a more diversified reporting from the European publishing industry. The Working Group is expecting to launch a monitoring program during the coming year.Like it? Share it! More by this author |