Expanded support through Google News Initiative 

News Showcase is just one part of our longstanding, overall commitment to the Canadian news industry. Today we are also announcing additional investments through our Google News Initiative, a global effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age: 

Training journalists in digital skills: Over the next three years we’ll train 5,000 Canadian journalists and journalism students on strengthening digital skills in newsrooms – a five-times increase from the 1,000 journalists we’ve already trained to date. 

Supporting business sustainability: We’ll expand our business-oriented workshops for small and mid-sized news organizations on topics including audience development, reader revenue and advertising revenue. The 10 sessions will be delivered in French and English and build upon our award winning News Consumer Insights tools.

We are introducing our first custom designed GNI Startups Boot Camp dedicated exclusively to aspiring Canadian news entrepreneurs starting a business or non-profit journalism project in Canada.  Applications open in the fall. 

Promoting news innovation: We are announcing our third North American Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge to fund selected projects focused on helping local publishers think about new ways to understand, enhance and serve the needs of their communities. Applications are now open.

“When the Halifax Examiner joined GNI Startup Labs, I was cautiously optimistic that it would be of value. But the actual experience has been beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” says Tim Bousquet, editor and publisher of the Halifax Examiner. “Thanks to speaking with other media operators struggling to make sense of our industry, and especially thanks to working hand-in-hand with a coach who walked us through our challenges, the Examiner now has a deeper and more fruitful understanding of our business model, the approach to revenue, and how to prepare for the future and grow.”

These new and expanded programs build on our long-term support for Canadian news organizations of all sizes. In 2019 alone, Google sent five billion clicks to Canadian news sites, for free (an estimated half billion dollars in value, according to Deloitte). During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Journalism Emergency Relief Fund directly supported more than 200 different newsrooms across Canada to keep journalists working and Canadians informed. 

Today’s news represents a shared goal that Google and news publishers in Canada are focused on – long-term success for journalism in Canada. That’s why Google is committed to playing a constructive role alongside publishers to enable a sustainable future for news that Canadians can depend on for years to come. 

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