Google is launching the Google News Initiative, a journalism-focused program that will help publishers earn revenue and combat fake news.
The initiative, announced Tuesday, will offer publications another monetization model online called Subscribe with Google, as well as work with established universities and groups to combat misinformation. It will also introduce an open-source tool called Outline, which will make it easier for news organizations to set up secure access to the internet for their journalists.
Google said it was committing $300 million over the next three years to the project, though it did not elaborate on how the resources would be spent. The company said it paid $12.6 billion to news organizations and drove 10 billion clicks a month to their websites for free last year.
Subscribe with Google will make it easier for readers to pay for content from news organizations that have agreed to partner with the company. FT.com, The Washington Post, and McClatchy Company publications including the Miami Herald are among the 17 launch partners.
The company is also testing a “Propensity to Subscribe” feature using its artificial intelligence, which will let companies know which consumers are likely to pay for their products. A new News Consumer Insights dashboard will further analyze readers for subscription opportunities.
Google will also create the Disinfo Lab with Harvard’s Kennedy School aimed at clarifying misinformation during elections and breaking news moments. It will also launch MediaWise, an organization in conjunction with the Poynter Institute, Stanford University and the Local Media Association, which will work to develop digital literacy for young viewers.
