11 digital news organisations launches DIGIPUB News India Foundation
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To create a robust news ecosystem, 11 digital news organizations came forward to launch DIGIPUB News India Foundation, which is said to be solely digital. The organization was created and registered early in October and was officially launched today. The newly formed organisation aims to effectively represent digital news media organizations. In an official press release, it is confirmed that the membership in DIGIPUB is open to digital-only ventures, and media commentators and independent Journalists active in digital media space.
Alt News, Article 14, Boomlive, Cobrapost, HW news, NewsClick, Newslaundry, Scroll, The News Minute, The Quint and The Wire are the founding members of DIGIPUB News Foundation. Dhanya Rajendran from The News Minute will be the Chairperson, and Prabir Purkayasta of NewsClick will be the Vice Chairperson of DIGIPUB.
The press release says, "In India, there is no single body representing the country's digital news ecosystem despite the growth of digital news organizations. The key aspect of the foundation is that it does not believe that only organisations should represent or voice the needs of the digital news ecosystem. It is imperative to recognize the contribution of independent journalists in forming the bulwark of this ecosystem".
The news foundation is said to represent, amplify and develop best practices to build a robust digital news ecology that is independent and upholds the highest standards of journalism. The membership in DIGIPUB is limited to digital news outlets and journalists currently operating in India.
Apart from DIGIPUB, there are two more official bodies to represent Indian digital media. One is DNPA, Digital News Publishers Association run by India Today group, Times Group, Hindustan Times and NDTV. The second one is IDMA, Indian Digital Media Association that has been founded and operated by Republic Network, India News, Odisha TV, Sunday Guardian, OPIndia and Goa Chronicle. DNPA is said to be an association of legacy media platforms that do not have a single digital-only publication.
The press release states, "The Foundation hopes to take the best practices from legacy media and will help to specifically meet the needs of digital media. There is a huge potential in the calibre of journalism and the news brands that have and can emerge from the digital space, which can create a golden age for digital-only news media".
"This new initiative by independent journalists will help us come together for solving the massive challenges faced by the media industry today," Dhanya Rajendran, The Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute told.