Stuff, Spinoff, Gisborne Herald, Otago Daily Times and More to Join Google News Showcase
A range of publishers across national and local media, heritage mastheads and digital natives to join Google News Showcase this month.
Wednesday 14 June; Publishers Stuff, Allied Press, The Spinoff, Ashburton Guardian, Mahurangi Matters and Hibiscus Matters, Gisborne Herald, The Wairarapa Times-Age and the Wanaka App have reached agreements with Google for these national, regional and local titles to join Google News Showcase – a program paying publishers to curate content and build deeper relationships with readers.
Caroline Rainsford, Country Director for Google New Zealand said these agreements showed Google’s ongoing commitment to New Zealand’s news industry, “We’re so pleased to be continuing to bring a broad spectrum of Aotearoa’s publications to more audiences through Google News Showcase – with digital natives like Spinoff and Wanaka App to heritage mastheads from Stuff and Allied Press, through to truly local public interest journalism from Gisborne Herald and Ashburton Guardian.” She continued “Many of these titles have served their communities for decades, providing vital news and information to their regions. We’re pleased to reach these agreements to help support public interest journalism in New Zealand.”
Stuff Chief Executive Sinead Boucher said the agreement acknowledges the value Stuff’s trustworthy journalism provides to Kiwis all over the motu. “We’re pleased to reach terms with Google to ensure our content reaches News Showcase readers,” says Boucher.
“The Wānaka App is delighted with the support Google is providing to ensure the future of hyper-local news in small communities,” Wānaka App managing director Tony O’Regan said. “The Google News Showcase will support our mobile app, website, and newsletter to deliver quality local news and information that matters to the Upper Clutha.”
“The internet is changing fast, but New Zealand’s need for powerful magazine-style journalism is a constant,” says Duncan Greive, founder of The Spinoff. “Partnering with Google on News Showcase helps keep our work accessible to new and existing audiences in a superb, purpose-built location. Additionally, it will allow The Spinoff to continue to grow the human-centric technology which underpins our vital public interest reporting and analysis.”
Grant Mckenzie, Chief Executive of Allied Press said “We are delighted to be working with Google and being able to showcase our unique content to a wider audience. This also means we can continue to maintain our journalists who are out there reporting on the things that matter to those in Southern New Zealand.”
“Local Matters is looking forward to joining the Google Showcase line-up, which will give our community news a much wider audience,” Local Matters general manager Jannette Thompson says. “Community publishers work at the very coal face of information dissemination and through News Showcase we will reach more readers with news, events and stories from our neighbourhoods.
“In an era where national and international headlines often overshadow local affairs, community media ensures that the voices and issues of our communities are heard, recognised and addressed.”
