Google teams up with South African publishers with R114m media boost
This week marks a groundbreaking moment for South Africa’s media landscape with the launch of the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF), a partnership between the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and Google. The fund will inject R114m into the local media sector over the next three years—South Africa's largest-ever investment in community journalism.
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For decades, community media outlets have been the backbone of grassroots reporting, amplifying the voices of underserved populations. This historic initiative empowers local publishers to embrace digital transformation, produce original journalism, and build sustainable business models that can thrive in the digital age.
“The DNTF is not just about money—it’s about reimagining the future of journalism in South Africa,” said AIP chairperson Anetta Mangxaba . “It’s an opportunity for publishers to create content that reflects the diversity of our communities while promoting accountability and public interest.”
The fund will support publishers at three stages of digital development: "Build" for those with limited online presence, "Grow" for those with basic digital products, and "Engage" for digitally mature outlets looking to expand their reach. The DNTF aims to ensure that every community, regardless of location or language, has access to quality, locally-driven journalism.
The eligibility criteria for the DNT Fund are as follows:
- Beneficiaries must be local or independent news publishers who produce original public interest journalism, and who have existing or planned digital news products, or industry bodies who support the local and independent news media ecosystem;
- Beneficiaries do not need to be members of AIP, or to make use of Google products or services.
- Beneficiaries must be members of the Press Council of South Africa, to ensure a commitment to journalistic ethics;
- Applications for funding may be made by standalone publishers (“individual beneficiaries”) or consortiums and collectives (“collective beneficiaries”) to enable industry-wide projects.
- Publishers who qualify for, or already benefit from, a Google News Showcase agreement are excluded from applying as individual beneficiaries.
- Publishers with more than one million unique monthly visitors to their website are precluded from applying to the DNT Fund as individual beneficiaries, unless they are ineligible for a Google News Showcase agreement due to language or other restrictions;
- Beneficiaries must display a genuine commitment to digital transformation, including a tangible technological or commercial goal, and to developing strategies to ensure the sustainability of their organisations.
- Beneficiaries may not be news aggregators, general interest magazines without a clear commitment to public interest journalism, or broadcasting services.