The Feasibility of the Digital News Initiative in the EUPosted by Coleman Topp on May 24th, 2021 The Digital News Initiative (DNI) is a European organization established by Google to "promote high-quality journalism across the globe". It includes an "Innovation Lab" worth up to € 150m, which this year issued grants to 4 specially selected projects from across Europe. The main function of the DNI is to improve the quality of digital news. It also makes available tools and support to help journalists and media outlets, such as La Presse and L'Espresso, increase their use of cutting edge technologies. The Digital News Initiative was established as a part of the broader European Media Strategy. This policy is designed to increase and strengthen the presence and coverage of European media in the digital space. The policy's strategy is based on its view that digital transformations will create new and greater opportunities for European companies and media organizations. The core of the Digital News Initiative's activity is "innovation incubators", a term which refers to a set of platforms and resources intended to make it easier for European media companies to launch innovative ideas. The process encourages new development and creation of new knowledge. The goal is to increase access to digital news and to enable the spread of information across a wider range of users. By enabling innovation, the DNI can build upon the success of similar initiatives launched in the past, such as the Engage Europe project, the European Network for Digital Publishing or the European Press Foundation. In 2021, the UK government extended funding to the RNoirs du Seu de l'Union for the cultivation of French press publications. At the same time, the US National Endowment for the Arts funded a project aimed at improving European magazine culture. A key feature of the DNI's activities is the provision of resources to assist publishers in building a sustainable system of innovation. For example, the Fondo Naci, or the Latin name of the DNI, publishes an open source platform to help European publishers build their own websites. This provides the basis for a free content platform, which allows European publishers to submit content, submit news releases and submit press releases online. In addition, the Fondo Naci collaborates with several other bodies, such as the European Journalism Forum and the European Union Agency for Research, Development and Research Co-hesion (ERCTC). The ERCTC is responsible for the coordination of research in the research network of the European Union. Another aspect of the DMI is its European regional funding initiative. The initiative draws on different sources, including the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) and the European Social Investment Fund (ESIF). The main function of the funds is to promote cooperation in the area of economy, society and environment. The funding from the EIF and the ERDF is aimed at providing financial resources to those whose projects contribute to the promotion of Europe's wider culture, in the form of grants, loans and financing. The third strand of the digital transformation is the participation of businesses and other organizations within the organization. Through the Digital News Initiative, they can be ensured of receiving information and content in a format that can easily be translated into other languages and used for online publication. For example, the ERCDF is providing funding for media outlets that intend to submit original and non-commercial content in the areas it covers. In this way, publishers will have access to information and content from all over the continent, covering a range of topics, including culture, economy and politics. The fourth strand is the contribution of digital and traditional broadcasting enterprises to the growth of the Digital News Initiative. The organizations that have lent their support are Euterink, Sky and Baucom. Together, they intend to create a system that allows for the free exchange of news between members of the media community, and to increase the number of publications in the language of the communities. agency is part of the European Journalism Review, which was established in 1999 to assess the state of freedom of information in Europe and to recommend measures that can help ensure the protection of journalists and the diversity of news outlets. These five strands contribute to the success of the Digital News Initiative in Europe. They guarantee access to a range of news that can be freely accessed by users across the continent. They foster a vibrant innovation culture and stimulate investment in the publishing industry. They allow an innovative media environment in which new forms of technology can be tested and evaluated before being rolled out as part of a wider initiative.Like it? Share it! More by this author |