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South Africa: Grassroots publishers announce major Google-funded sustainability initiative

On 25 November 2024, the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and Google announced the launch of a new, special-purpose media support fund in South Africa: the Digital News Transformation Fund (the DNT Fund)*. The AIP represents close to 200 grassroots news publishers across South Africa, many of which are based in rural and disadvantaged communities. The majority of AIP members are primarily print operations.

The DNT Fund comprises a R114-million commitment from Google, over three years, to provide project-based grants to assist small, local, and independent news publishers in South Africa with digital transformation, audience engagement, and sustainability initiatives.

AIP chair Anetta Mangxaba described the DNT Fund as the largest-ever funding commitment for grassroots media in South Africa.

The announcement comes at a time of mounting interest globally – including in South Africa – in regulatory interventions to address news-media sustainability, including through competition-based regulation of major technology platforms. This was a central question before South Africa’s Competition Commission in the recent Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry; the Commission is expected to issue a provisional report from the Inquiry soon.

According to the DNT Fund’s preliminary eligibility requirements, applicants:

  • Must be local or independent news publishers who produce original public interest journalism or industry bodies who support the local and independent news media ecosystem.
  • Must be members of the Press Council of South Africa, to ensure a commitment to journalistic ethics, oversight, and transformation.
  • Must show a commitment to digital transformation, including a tangible technological or commercial goal, and to developing strategies to ensure the sustainability of their organisations.
  • May not be news aggregators, general interest magazines without a clear commitment to public interest journalism, or broadcasters.

Applicants to the Fund do not need to be members of the AIP, and do not need to make use of Google products or services.

Though the DNT Fund has been established through a partnership between AIP and Google, the Fund will be administered independently by Tshikululu Social Investments, a social investment fund manager.

The DNT Fund is expected to open its first round of applications by March 2025, following industry consultations and the establishment of the Fund’s policies and structures.

* Disclosure: Power & Associates Inc., a public-interest law firm which works in association with ALT Advisory, supported AIP in negotiations leading to the DNT Fund’s establishment, and ALT Media provided communications support to announce its launch.

Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

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