Highlights from our partnerships with news publishers in Asia Pacific this year

Every year, we remark on the pace of change in the news industry, and 2022 is no exception. As we look back on the year, I’m proud of how much we’ve accomplished working with news publishers across the Asia Pacific region.

While this work continues, we celebrate the progress made towards advancing quality journalism, strengthening publisher business models, and empowering newsrooms with cutting edge technology.

Here are some of our highlights from this year.

Building local partnerships to meet local needs.

Partnering with local organizations has always been key to creating programs tailored to local needs. In India, for example, we partnered with Echos Innovation Lab and DIGIPUB News India Foundation through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Startups Labs program to help the next generation of independent Indian news startups build more sustainable business models. With access to mentorship, training and workshops, we collaborated with 10 Indian news media startups to transform the way they operate. Through similar work in Indonesia, we supported 10 news publishers.

And to help publishers adapt to the digital age, we partnered with FT Strategies to offer the Data & Insights Launchpad program for publishers in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand. Through this program, news organizations learned how to develop a sustainable digital subscriptions model.

The Digital Growth Program is another initiative by GNI supporting publishers in the digital space, focusing specifically on growth. In Australia and New Zealand, for example, we’ve helped more than 200 small and mid-sized news publishers accelerate their online business growth.

Tackling misinformation and supporting fact checking.

We also continued working with publishers to help combat misinformation. During my recent trip to Jakarta, I announced we are expanding support for fact-checking consortium CekFakta and the GNI Indonesia Training Network to equip more newsrooms, journalists and fact-checkers with the skills and tools needed ahead of Indonesia’s elections in 2024.

In September, we convened nearly 2,000 journalists and policymakers at our fifth annual Trusted Media Summit to share best practices around fact-checking, verification and media literacy, as well as the latest research on misinformation in the Asia Pacific region.

Supporting innovation through products and programs.

We want to empower journalists to reach their full potential, and are working to equip them with the training and technology needed to do so.

For example, more than 350 news publications in Asia Pacific have joined Google News Showcase since its launch in 2020. In August, we launched Google News Showcase with seven news publishers representing more than 20 publications in New Zealand.

We also gave our support to projects working to create a more sustainable and diverse news ecosystem. Last week, we announced that 19 recipients from across 10 countries in Asia Pacific will be receiving funding for their ideas showcasing creative solutions to address common publisher challenges— such as rethinking advertising revenue models, engaging with more diverse audiences and ensuring representation across underrepresented communities.

Building a diverse news community.

Recently, we shared the recipients of the Global News Equity Fund, our global effort to identify, support, and connect with news organizations primarily serving underrepresented communities to create a more inclusive news industry— including for many in Asia Pacific.

Locally, we’ve partnered with Media Diversity Australia to release a report analyzing the state of diversity in the local broadcast news industry.

We’ve also supported the Relaunch Project in partnership with Women in Media Australia to support women returning to the media workforce. Through a series of workshops, mentoring sessions and online training, we hope to make that transition more seamless.

And in Japan, we launched the Women Will Leadership Program to help working women in the news space advance their careers. Since its inception, more than 100 participants, across editorial, human resources, and business departments, have attended the program.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed this year to make a difference in the news industry across Asia Pacific. Looking forward to seeing what our teams accomplish in the year ahead!