Small and independent news publishers ready for first funding phase in March

PICTURE: Deepanker Verma/Pexels

Association of Independent Publishers

The Digital News Transformation Fund is an initiative of the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and Google to provide targeted, project-based funding for the sustainability and digital transformation of small and independent news publishers in South Africa.

The Fund, based on the partnership between AIP and Google, is expected to open its first round of applications by March, and will run for three years.

Anetta Mangxaba, Chairperson of AIP, described the DNT Fund as a crucial lifeline for independent journalism in South Africa, saying ‘local, independent publishers are essential to a healthy democracy, acting as watchdogs for their communities and amplifying the voices of grassroots citizens’.

‘However, in today’s challenging landscape for public interest journalism, South Africa’s grassroots outlets face immense financial pressures and the challenges of the digital divide. We value this partnership between AIP and Google that aims to proactively address the unique needs of South Africa’s independent and community publishers.

‘We see this fund as a critical opportunity to support small and independent news publishers to grow, adapt to the demands of a digital era, and strengthen their role as effective and resilient voices for their communities’

Marianne Erasmus, Google News Partner Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa, says the DNT Fund aims to support local, independent, community and vernacular language public interest news publishers to build a solid digital foundation, expand their audience reach, improve their reader engagement and develop practical data strategies that will lead to a resilient commercial model.

‘We’ve consulted with and listened to news publishers and policymakers in South Africa to develop a funding framework that will meaningfully support the digital transformation needs of the local and community news ecosystem.

‘We are committed to partnering with the AIP to achieve these goals, and this new R114-million investment will fund digital transformation projects with a clear and tangible technological or commercial goal, as proposed by the local news ecosystem.

‘The funding will run over the course of three years, and will be accompanied by ongoing training on digital skills and fundamentals through the Google News Initiative,’ Erasmus explained.

The DNT Fund website, also a partnership between AIP and Google, supports the digital evolution of small and independent news publishers in South Africa through introducing candidates to enhancing their digital operations, improving audience reach, and promoting the sustainability of public interest journalism.

How the DNT Fund will work

AIP and Google have developed a detailed framework to ensure that the DNT Fund can carry out its objectives with transparency, credibility, and fairness:

• the Fund will be administered independently by Tshikululu Social Investments, with fiscal oversight from a multistakeholder Oversight and Advisory Board
• the Fund will be subject to robust transparency and reporting mechanisms, and a list of all funded projects and beneficiaries will be publicly available

Beneficiaries must be small, local, and independent publishers or industry collectives with a commitment to public interest journalism and digital transformation, and must be members of the Press Council of South Africa

• beneficiaries do not have to be members of the AIP and do not need to make use of Google products or services in their digital transformation initiatives

The DNT Fund’s first round follows industry and stakeholder consultations on its approach to funding and the finalisation of the Fund’s structures and policies.