Introducing Google News Initiative Conversations

This year, the way many of us work has changed dramatically. We’ve gone from lunch meetings and large networking conferences to meeting virtually from our makeshift home offices. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly upended a lot of this, but that doesn’t mean sharing ideas is on hold, too. That’s especially true for the Google News Initiative team; our commitment to helping journalism thrive is still just as strong. 

That’s why we’ve launched Google News Initiative Conversations, a new video series in which we bring together industry experts and our partners from around the world to discuss the successes, challenges and opportunities facing the news industry. Since March 2018, the GNI has worked with more than 6,250 news partners in 118 countries, several of which are featured in the series.

Over the course of four episodes, we cover the themes of business sustainability, quality journalism, diversity, equity and inclusion and a look ahead to 2021 from a global perspective. Take a look at what the series has to offer:

Sustaining the News Industry, featuring: 

Miki King, Chief Marketing Officer of the Washington Post
Gary Liu, CEO of the South China Morning Post
Tara Lajumoke, Managing Director of FT Strategies
Megan Brownlow and Simon Crerar talk about local journalism in Australia.

Quality Journalism, featuring: 

Claire Wardle, U.S. Director, First Draft
Surabhi Malik and Syed Nazakat of FactShala India

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, featuring: 

Soledad O’Brien, CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions
Drew Christie, Chair of BCOMS – the Black Collective of Media in U.K. Sport
Bryan Pollard, Associate Director of Native American Journalists Association
Kalhan Rosenblatt, Youth and Internet Culture Reporter at NBC News
Tania Montalvo, General Editor at Animal Político, Mexico 
Zack Weiner, President of Overtime

Innovation and the Future of News, featuring: 

Brad Bender, VP of Product at Google interviewed by broadcaster Tina Daheley  
Charlie Beckett, Professor in the Dept of Media and Communication at LSE
Agnes Stenborn, Responsible Data and AI Specialist
Christina Elmer, Editorial RnD at Der Spiegel

It’s uncertain when we’ll get to gather together in person again, but until then, we’ll continue learning, collaborating and innovating as we work towards a better future for news.