Working with news partners in Asia Pacific

4. Supporting innovation through products and programs

We work closely with news publishers across the Asia Pacific region to provide financial, technical and training support. More than 340 news publications in Asia Pacific have joined Google News Showcase since it launched in 2020, and we’re continuing discussions with even more publishers across the region. This builds upon our proud history of partnering with news businesses around the world to strengthen quality journalism, and is the basis of our continuing efforts to create a thriving news ecosystem in Asia Pacific.

Beyond products, the Google News Initiative works to encourage diversity and innovation in news. This includes partnering on innovation through programs such as the GNI Innovation Challenge, which started in APAC back in 2018. Since the launch, GNI Innovation Challenges have supported more than 200 news organizations around the world, including outlets like Busan Ilbo in Korea and Khabar Lahariya in India.

5. Supporting a diverse news community

Through all our work with the news industry, we aim to help build diversity, fairness and inclusion standards into every program that we deliver and every partnership that we create. In Australia, we partnered with Media Diversity Australia to examine diversity in the local broadcast news industry and in Japan, we launched a news-specific track of the Women Will Leadership Program to help women working in news to advance their careers and support companies seeking to drive change in the work environment. In Korea and Australia, we will welcome new cohorts to leadership programs for journalists returning to work after parental leave.

Looking forward

To further support a diverse news ecosystem, we’re opening applications for the new Global News Equity Fund, which supports news organizations that serve or are owned by members of underrepresented communities. The GNI Global News Equity Fund will provide cash awards to independent journalists and small and medium-sized news organizations producing original news for minority and underrepresented audiences. Applications are open now until July 21 and available in Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.

Through these and other programs we work with news partners across the region to support their goals and strengthen quality journalism. I look forward to continuing these partnerships and will have more to share on new initiatives in the coming months.