Google launches ‘Journalism Relief Fund’

Google has indicated readiness to disburse an emergency fund to assist local news outlets finding it difficult to sustain operations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The internet giant revealed no specific figure for its funding but said it would disburse grants in “low thousands of dollars” for the smallest operations to “low tens of thousands for larger newsrooms.”

The move comes with the media sector facing deep cutbacks resulting from the global consumer lockdown, an intense economic slump and retrenchment in advertising revenues that many news outlets depend on.

Google News vice president, Richard Gingras, in a statement acknowledged: “Local news is a vital resource for keeping people and communities connected in the best of times.

“Today, it plays an even greater function in reporting on local lockdowns or shelter at home orders, school and park closures, and data about how COVID-19 is affecting daily life.”

Gingras was said to have indicated that the fund will open to outlets “producing original news for local communities during this time of crisis,” with applications due by April 29.

Ge gad declared: “At the end of the process, we’ll announce who has received funding and how publishers are spending the money.

“We believe it is important to do what we can to alleviate the financial pressures on newsrooms, and will continue to look at other ways to help with more to announce soon.”

It was gathered that Facebook had on March 30 disclosed a donation of $100 million to support news organizations globally hurting from the coronavirus pandemic. This was said to include $25 million in grants and ramped up ad spending by the social media giant.