Google Launches "Digital News Initiative" In Europe: Cash For News Groups

[engine]

Has Google finally realised it needs to work with businesses to keep the world's media going round! 150 million Euros, or about $160 Million Dollars, is no small sum of money, but, I wonder how far that will go once diluted amongst the targets.

I welcome the initiative, but it's way too early to say how it'll work out.

But we think we can do more and better, particularly in Europe. I’m happy to announce here today - alongside a number of European publishers and journalism organisations - the Digital News Initiative to promote high-quality journalism through technology and innovation.


Google Launches "Digital News Initiative" In Europe: Cash For News Groups [googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com]

Our joint efforts will be in three key areas.

First, product development. We will create a publishers’ working group from across Europe to explore product developments aimed at increasing revenue, traffic and audience engagement. Over the years we have worked on a range of news-related initiatives, but we tended to work in isolation, and the feedback has been that Google can be complicated to work with, and at times unpredictable!

We intend to change that...

Second, we will significantly increase our investment in training and research. Through our newly established News Lab team we will bring dedicated training resources to European newsrooms for the first time. We are creating training programmes with a number of journalism organisations, including the European Journalism Centre, the Global Editors Network and the International News Media Association.

And thirdly, we have allocated 150 million euros to stimulating and supporting innovation in digital journalism within the news industry in Europe, over the next three years.

[superclown2]

Money from the 'lobbying' budget, I wonder? It will have nothing to do with the European investigations into G's business practices, of course. It is purely coincidental that G will need all the help they can get from European media companies during their travails.

[tangor]

Google training news organizations on how to get better placement in Google Serps? Sounds like a win win for G and a(n insidious) way to tie yet another group of publishers to Google's apron strings. Other Google products started out the same way "Let me show you how to do better..."

Even if the EU comes down on G, this initiative can only help G overall. In that regard, great business idea!

[Leosghost]

Spiders, flies, parlours..
( not the 1st time I've posted that here )..

[mrengine]

Take billions from an industry and give them back a hundred million for some good PR. Eventually media will succumb to the same declining revenue many small businesses have and go bankrupt or sold.

[jmccormac]

Google trying to buy its way out of the trouble that is on the horizon?

Regards...jmcc

[EditorialGuy]

Some may call it lobbying or PR; others will call it giving in to extortion.

[superclown2]

Some may call it lobbying or PR; others will call it giving in to extortion.

Are you saying that the publishers have extorted money from Google? What strange ideas you come up with. They've given this money out of the goodness of their hearts, surely, not in the hope of some advantage to themselves.

[EditorialGuy]

You don't like the "extortion"? Try "protection" or "insurance," then, after being targeted bu elected officials in Germany, Spain, and France and unelected officials in Brussels.

[superclown2]

Try "protection" or "insurance," then, after being targeted bu elected officials in Germany, Spain, and France and unelected officials in Brussels.

I can't believe that you're suggesting that Google is trying to influence the judicial process in Europe by handing over this money. That would be unethical and illegal.

[Hinso]

Intriguing that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and Axel Springer in Germany - Google's greatest critics - have not taken the bait.

[aristotle]

They've given this money out of the goodness of their hearts, surely, not in the hope of some advantage to themselves.

Not just out of the goodness of their hearts, but also to try to make the world a better place.