Google announced Sunday that it would fund innovative projects from different news organizations by US$150,000 as part of the Google News Initiative’s (GNI) Innovative Challenge in the Middle East and Africa.
Google launched the GNI during a meeting with the publishers and editor-in-chiefs of newsrooms in the headquarters of al-Masry al-Youm newspaper in Cairo, where they displayed the advantages of using journalistic tools such as Google News, Google Search, YouTube and Cloud Machine Learning.
Google explained that these projects would increase engagement with readers and explore new business models such as subscriptions, membership programs and loyalty in the news field.
The GNI would also help news publishers cope with the demands of the digital age through three key elements: promoting good journalism, developing business models to drive sustainable growth, and empowering media organizations through technological innovation.
Google pointed out that a committee would evaluate the projects of the newspaper organizations and fund 75 percent of the total cost of the project, which could reach up to $150,000.
Google explained that the project submissions would open in June, extending for one month.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
