Jul 27, 2020
100 newrooms get Google funding to keep going during Coronavirus
More than 100 news organisations around the UK are to benefit from Google grants to help see them through the Coronavirus pandemic.
Google’s Journalism Emergency Relief Fund opened in the spring, with over $39m being offered to publishers around the globe.
A mixture of radio stations, smaller established publishers and newer digital news sites are among those to benefit in the UK. Larger publishers have been offered other forms of support, including the suspension of ad-serving fees for those using Google technology to display adverts on their sites.
Iliffe Media’s Cambridge Independent, KentOnline website and Newbury Weekly News newspaper have all been handed grants.
Bullivant Media, which runs a series of weekly newspapers across the Midlands, has received support for titles in Bromsgrove, Coventry, Leamington, Droitwich, Redditch, Evesham, Rugby, Solihull and Stratford, while Midlands News Association, which operates the Wolverhampton Express and Star and Shropshire Star titles are also listed.
The Barnsley Chronicle, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Henley Standard, South London Press and Camden New Journal are other long-established independent titles to be offered Google help, as is the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald, which was recently taken over by new owners after going into administration.
Two titles owned by the Quest Media group to the east of Greater Manchester, in Tameside and Glossop, will receive support too, while a number of smaller titles in Northern Ireland are getting help, many owned by the Alpha Media group.
RADAR, the Press Association-backed data journalism service which was launched with a substantial grant from Google several years ago, is also listed, as is the South West News Agency service which operates across the UK.
Nub News, which is expanding rapidly across the UK with community news run by journalists covering multiple towns, has also been offered support.
A number of hyperlocal operators are also getting support, including RochdaleOnline, The Lincolnite, Wrexham.com, Saddleworth Independent, Birmingham Updates, Llanelli Online, News on the Wight, KCW London and Brighton and Hove News.
Cornwall Reports, which actively refuses to take adverts on news pages and instead relies on reader revenue, has also signed up for support.
Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation, said: “The money is being applied in diverse and creative ways from ensuring basic reporting needs, giving emergency stipends to allow reporters to cover the crisis, to driving audience engagement and generating subscriptions.
“Additionally, a significant number also said they are prioritising a need for cultural change, including a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as organisational and business management changes.”
The full list in the UK looks like this:
104.7 Island FM
Altrincham Today (Hyperlocal Today)
Armagh I
Ballymena Guardian (Alpha Media Group Limited)
Bedford Independent (Progress Publishing Ltd)
Birmingham Updates (Updates Media)
Brighton and Hove News Bristol24/7
Bromsgrove Standard (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Caerphilly Observer
Cambridge Independent (Iliffe Media Group)
Camden New Journal, Islington Tribune, Westminster Extra
Campbeltown Courier (Wyvex Media Ltd)
Channel 103
City A.M.
Coleraine Chronicle (Alpha Media Group Limited)
Cornwall Reports (Ragged Trouser Productions Ltd)
County Down Outlook (Alpha Media Group Limited)
Coventry Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Cumberland & Westmorland Herald
Droitwich Standard (Bullivant Media Ltd)
East Devon News.co.uk
Evesham and Pershore Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Fermanagh Herald (North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company)
Glossop Chronicle (Quest Media Network Limited)
Goole Times (Chronicle Publications Ltd)
Hackney Citizen (Citizen News & Media Limited)
Hastings Online Times
Henley Standard
Island Echo (ICNN)
Jewish Telegraph
Just Regional
KCW London
KentOnline (Iliffe Media Group)
KMTV
Latest Group CIC
Leamington Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Llanelli Online
Londra Gazete
LymeOnline
Maidenhead Advertiser & Slough Express (Baylis Media Ltd)
Malvern Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Melksham Indpendent News (Wiltshire Publications Ltd)
MKFM MyWelshpool and MyNewtown (MyTown Media Ltd)
New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times New Valley News (formerly Valley News)
Newbury Weekly News
Newry Democrat (Alpha Media Group Limited)
News OnTheWight
Northern Scot (Highland News and Media Ltd)
Nub News
Perth Gazette
RADAR
Redditch and Alcester Standard (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Rochdale Online
Ross-Shire Journal (Highland News and Media Ltd)
Rugby and Lutterworth Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Saddleworth Independent (Local Communications Limited)
Salford Star (Mary Burns Community Group)
Sheffield Live
Shetland News
So Counties
SoGlos
Solihull Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
South London Press
Southwark News
Star Radio
Stratford-upon-Avon Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Strathspey and Badenoch Herald (Highland News and Media Ltd)
SWNS (SWNS Media Group Ltd)
Tameside Reporter (Quest Media Network Limited)
Teesdale Mercury
Th Arran Banner (Wyvex Media Ltd)
The Barnsley Chronicle (Acredula Group Limited)
The Bureau Local (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)
The Courier/The Press and Journal (DC Thomson Media)
The Express & Star and Shropshire Star
The Ferret
The Guildford Dragon NEWS
The Inverness Courier (Highland News and Media Limited)
The Irish News (The Irish News Limited)
The Lincolnite (Stonebow Media)
The Moorlander
The Northern Times (Highland News and Media Ltd)
The Oban Times (Wyvex Media Ltd)
The Shetland Times
The Spalding and South Holland Voice
The Week In
The Wokingham Paper
Thorne Times (Wake Up Media Ltd)
Tottenham Community Press (Social Spider CIC)
Tyrone Constution (Alpha Media Group Limited)
Tyrone Courier (Alpha Media Group Limited)
Ulster Gazette (Alpha Media Group Limited)
VIEWDigital Waltham Forest Echo (Social Spider CIC)
West Highland Free Press
Woking News & Mail (Warm Welcome Management Ltd)
Worcester Observer (Bullivant Media Ltd)
Wrexham.com (we also run Deeside.com and North.Wales)
Zetha Ltd
