Island Echo will soon feature on Google News Showcase thanks to a partnership between Google and the independent community news sector via Ping News.
In what is being hailed a ‘watershed moment’ for the industry, 45 members of the Independent Community News Network (ICNN) have signed up for the Google News Showcase to better connect with audiences and strengthen their offering.
The financial support provided by Google helps build much-needed sustainability and cements the sector within the wider journalism ecosystem. The support being provided by Google has gone a long way to further boosting the editorial team at Island Echo with a 4th news reporter joining the company this month.
The deal between Google and Ping News, ICNN’s public interest news gateway, is one-of-a-kind for independent publishers in the UK. So far the majority of organisations that have partnered with Google on the Showcase project have been traditional news publishers, with Island Echo now 1 of under 300 publishers nationwide featured the platform.
Access to trusted news is essential for a robust democracy, and nowhere is journalism more trusted and more valued than at the local and hyperlocal level.
Darren Toogood, Editor and Publisher of Island Echo, says:
“This partnership between the independent sector and Google is very much welcomed and I thank the work of the team at the ICNN for making this possible. It’s been a long road to get to this point as we battle against the well-established, multi-million pound companies but we are finally there.
“Being featured on the Showcase will not only expand our reach to new and existing audiences, but it will provide a new revenue stream which helps secure the future of the Island’s leading news website so that we can continue to serve our Island community. Furthermore, this partnership has helped support the recruitment of another journalist, allowing us to further expand our editorial output of high-quality, trustworthy journalism.
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Deputy Director of ICNN, Matt Abbott, has said:
“This is game-changing for independent journalism in the UK and we are delighted to expand our relationship with Google to bring this partnership together.
“Google News Showcase is an extremely important initiative that highlights the value of local news.
“By partnering with Ping News, Google is not only helping the independent sector become more sustainable but is acknowledging the enormous contribution hyperlocal journalism makes to public interest news in the UK.”
Debbie Weinstein, Vice President of Google and Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland, adds:
“In uncertain times, having easy access to reliable information through trusted sources on the internet is more important than ever. That’s why for more than two decades we’ve focused on connecting people with facts and journalism they can trust.
“Today, we’re excited to extend Showcase licensing deals to 45 smaller independent news titles thanks to a partnership with Ping News, a new public interest news gateway set up by the team at ICNN.”
Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which publishes the MailOnline, Metro and iNews, also join Google Showcase today.
Island Echo was named ICNN Community Website of the Year, sponsored by Google News Initiative, at newsawards 2021.
Lets hope it doesn’t mean more cookies, trackers, etc we will have to try and dodge before we can actually get to read a news article !
Well, imo, it will be the end of ‘independent’ run news on here. For there is no such thing as ‘ A free lunch’ and Google being massive it is not like the Echo teaming up with say the ‘County Press’ where the Island and it’s residents interests ‘may’ perhaps still be at heart.
Google has zero interest in the Island, but imo, does have massive interest in controlling the media and minds and spending of the masses.
30 pieces of silver not worth it imo, even with the high price of precious metals.
Likely the end of a very very good interactive news medium which the Echo has become without countless ad’s and subtle brainwashing of making the unacceptable ‘the norm’
A negative massive mistake imo, happy to be proven wrong.
Chubby you won’t be proven ‘wrong’ but spot on.
As we see with the BBC, reporting the ‘news’ is no longer what they do.
They ‘tell’ you what to think.
Luckily as we saw with Brexit, the British public aren’t stupid and despite the world’s media project fear, still voted how they saw fit, but Google will ruin this site, and the purely localness of this medium will be gone, as will it’s USP for they ARE one and the same.
Isle of Wight needs a bit of coverage.
Cement I’ve got some.
“Luckily as we saw with Brexit, the British public aren’t stupid”
PMSL!!!
Brexit shows that the British public actually are that gullible and stupid. Conned by stupendously wealthy spivs to vote to be poorer and less free so they can be massively richer off your back.
No sir, it is you who is being fooled. The world and his dog wanted, begged and tried to frighten the population to vote to stay.
As the people didn’t DO what the masters wanted as their project fear never worked, NOW they have to ‘create’ misery for the people, so much so, that the Tories know Labour will ‘get in’, and ruin the economy, so then the Tories can ‘ride to the rescue’ but ensuring we ‘rejoin’ the EU, which people will then accept, especially as it will be made to look a good deal.
So they will keep piling on the misery until the plebs beg to ‘go back in’ again.
That is the plan as project fear failed.