European Journalist Enthusiasts Urge For Transparency In Press Registration

The Digital News Initiative is an European organisation launched by Google, to support high quality journalism through innovation and technology. It also encompasses an "Innovation Lab" worth EUR 150m, which this year issued grants to 4 principles organisation operating on the initiative. This article will discuss the four principles which this initiative wishes to support.

First of all, the digital news initiative wishes to support European companies who wish to develop new markets for themselves or expand their presence in already established ones, by providing seed capital and by funding the growth of such companies. It also looks forward to promoting European culture and to promote the use of European materials wherever possible. In addition, it would like to see more European investment in research in order to further improve the quality of journalism and to make the EU more competitive in the eyes of business.

Secondly, the digital news initiative is keen to work with European publishers. So far, not all European publishers have used the new technology to expand their online presence, but some have and this should be encouraging to the others who have yet to take advantage of this new medium. It is clear that some publishers, including the Financial Times, are not well suited to this type of innovation. It is therefore to the digital news Initiative's benefit if publishers from the major countries in Europe can be encouraged to embrace and use new technologies. This could bring wider access to services and products to consumers across Europe and this is something the rest of the world could stand to gain from.

Thirdly, the digital news industry association welcomes the potential for non-editorial content being posted by publishers on its website. This could encourage more European writing teams to pick up this new form of innovation. For example, this week saw news spread across the continent about a new cancer treatment using gene therapy and it has the potential to spread like wildfire across the globe and really increase awareness of an important medical breakthrough. By having no editorial content posted on the organisation's site, this raises the bar for European journalism.

Finally, the European digital news industry association stresses the need for dialogue between members. There was an interesting piece in the IFA's newsletter last week, where a senior editor from La Gaceta was critical of the EDI's strategy. She argued that the innovation programme had not been tested in terms of its effectiveness in transforming digital stories for European readers. This is something that all sectors of the publishing industry should be focusing on, because when readers do turn to a website for any story they want the information presented to them to be original. If this cannot be guaranteed, then the impact of the initiative will be limited.

It seems to me that the European digital news industry association has missed the point of the project. The key objective was undoubtedly to create a platform for European and international readers to read independent journalism and comment. However, I think the organisation has missed the boat here. There is no European platform that will satisfy all journalists, bloggers and readers. This is not about catering for the commercial interests of big business interests, but about providing a space for dialogue and genuine reporting. It is about realigning priorities in the face of a changing digital landscape, and ensuring that journalism and blogging remains relevant and useful.

Perhaps magazine about the Digital News Initiative is the way in which it was launched. At first glance, it appears to have been designed as a commercial vehicle, with the aim of making more commercial news publisher money. This is understandable given its alliance with news organisations from across the continent. But its broader aim should be about democratising the publishing industry in the wake of the digital revolution. magazine can only come if journalism and blogging become more democratic and transparent, and are not simply bought and sold to the highest bidder.

It seems that the initiative is merely an initiative, destined for further expansion and commercialisation. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it continues to evolve. Innovation is important for any new medium, and the new digital world has already created many ground breaking innovations, including Dedi, whose scope will only increase over the coming years. However, I am worried that the vision of transforming the publishing industry is a bit too grand, and the push to monetise the industry by selling advertising onto content may backfire. The innovative journalism that is the hallmark of the digital news industry needs to be robust enough to cope with genuine interest and credibility, without succumbing to the demands of business interests. I hope that the spirit of transparency and openness that underpins the DNI will continue to fuel a forward thinking approach to publishing.