Google and
Facebook have stepped in to boost local journalism in the
UK and US as they face political pressure
Anyone who has passed through Cambridge recently (the one in the English countryside, not the one in Massachusetts),would have noticed that the ivory towers glint and sprawl with technological investment. “Silicon Fen”, as it is appropriately known, has been a key investment site for global technology companies wanting to tap into Cambridge University’s research capacities.
Google is one such company, and now it has an added interest in East Anglia as it is partnering with local news company Archant to create three digital newsrooms in communities “currently underserved by news”.
The venture, Project Neon, looks very much a carbon copy of Project Compass in the US, where Google is also partnering with a large local news chain, McClatchy, to set up digital outlets in news deserts.