The Edinburgh Reporter is delighted to be one of 45 hyperlocal news websites which is becoming part of the Google News Showcase.
ICNN has brokered a partnership between Google and the independent community news sector via its public interest news gateway: Ping News.
In a watershed moment for the industry, Forty-five independent titles have signed up to the Google News Showcase to connect with audiences and strengthen their presence.
The financial support provided by Google will help build much-needed sustainability and give the sector a firmer place within the wider journalism ecosystem.
The deal is one-of-a-kind for independent publishers in the UK.
So far the majority of organisations that have partnered with Google on the Showcase project have been traditional news publishers.
Vice President of Google and Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland, Debbie Weinstein said: “In uncertain times, having easy access to reliable information through trusted sources on the internet is more important than ever. That’s why for more than two decades we’ve focused on connecting people with facts and journalism they can trust.
“Today, we’re excited to extend Showcase licensing deals to 45 smaller independent news titles thanks to a partnership with Ping News, a new public interest news gateway set up by the team at ICNN.”
Deputy Director of ICNN, Matt Abbott said: “This is game-changing for independent journalism in the UK and we are delighted to expand our relationship with Google to bring this partnership together.
“Google News Showcase is an extremely important initiative that highlights the value of local news.
“By partnering with Ping News, Google is not only helping the independent sector become more sustainable but is acknowledging the enormous contribution hyperlocal journalism makes to public interest news in the UK.”
He added: “Additionally, Google’s support of the Ping! platform – the Public Interest News Gateway – means regional and national publishers will soon be able to access rich multimedia content from every region of the UK on demand, from hundreds of professional independent community journalists.”
Ping! developed and built in partnership with Bristol-based web app development company Omni Digital, is due to launch in May 2023.
Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter Phyllis Stephen said: “This is testament to a lot of hard work by hyperlocals such as ourselves all over the UK publishing stories about our local areas that are often overlooked by bigger news outlets. We see this as a first step, but are extremely grateful to ICNN and to Google for their foresight in supporting us. Now we need The Scottish Government to recognise the importance of supporting local news.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
