News Corp Australia and Google Australia to launch a new digital news academy
A world-leading digital news academy is being created by News Corp Australia and Google Australia to help arm journalists with critical online skills.
A world-leading digital news academy is being established to help journalists bolster their stories in an extremely competitive online market.
News Corp Australia and Google Australia have partnered to create a new innovative education program, The Digital News Academy, focused on upskilling news producers’ digital journalism skills.
The academy will help arm journalists, editors and publishers with critical knowledge skill sets to ensure their content can be executed in a beneficial way in the ever-growing digital era and tertiary institution experts are also being engaged to help deliver the training. It will begin in 2022 and allow 250 journalists and news professionals annually to learn from a range of resources, from online tutorials to formal education curriculum.
News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said the academy’s creation is a critical step for news organisations in the digital world to help educate media professionals with leading online journalism skills.
“This is the first time in the digital era that Australian media companies have made such a commitment – both intellectually and financially – to strengthen and future-proof journalism in this country, especially in regional Australia,” he said. “The partnership with Google means we will be able to bring our real-world journalism experience to designing and delivering the curriculum while tapping into Google’s knowledge of content that resonates with audiences and the resources they have developed working with news organisations globally for many years.”
Trainees will be drawn from across News Corp Australia and small and regional publishers including Australian Community Media, the nation’s largest rural and regional publishers. Individuals can also apply. The program will also include a major annual conference and a US study tour for a select group of trainees.
Mr Miller said the future of all commercial news outlets relied heavily on ensuring quality content is published that services audiences in a valuable way. “By ensuring these independent voices continue to be heard we will improve people’s lives – whether by highlighting injustices, campaigning on important causes, holding local government to account or simply following the local footy team’s ups and downs.
“The academy’s foundation mission is to assist news organisations large and small and develop business models built on high-value journalism.”
The program will include developing skills on digital journalism, video and audio production, data journalism, audience measurement and reader revenue, and will also delve into digital business models and marketing.
Google director of news partnerships for the Asia-Pacific Kate Beddoe said it was a critical investment in journalism.
“It builds on the work we’ve been doing for years in support of regional publishers,” she said. “We’ve long partnered with the news industry in Australia and this new initiative will benefit and support hundreds of journalists.”
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