2 article summaries

Google launches €150m fund for publishers' digital news projects

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/22/google-fund-publishers-digital-news-projects

Google has launched its €150m (£109m) fund for European publishers to tap to develop new digital news projects. Google announced its intention to launch the innovation fund in April as part of its Digital News Initiative that aims to support and improve historically often fractious relations with European publishers. Google stressed that there would be tight governance and no conflict of interest having executives from potential rival organisations assess funding for projects.

• The internet giant promises that the €50m annually it will award to projects over three years will come with “no strings attached” and that “there is no requirement to use any Google products”.
• Google has divided application criteria for funding into three pools: “early stage” prototype projects that Google will fully fund to “fast track” with up to €50,000.
• Medium-sized projects are defined as those that require up to €300,000 in funds, of which Google will award up to 70%.
• Google will also fund up to 70% of proposals defined as large projects, those up to €1m.
• Google said that there can be exceptions to its €1m per project funding cap if there is an idea that is collaborative.

in my opinion I agree with this article as it says funding will have 'no strings attached' with larger grants needing approval from a council including the Telegraph’s Murdoch MacLennan.

Why the future of newspapers is not all doom and gloom

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/20/why-the-future-of-newspapers-is-not-all-doom-and-gloom

This article is about newspapers and how they are not likely to decline as 46m people read newspapers each month. Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the world’s biggest advertising group, said at the Society of Editors’ conference that more and more people are recognising the value of the engaged audiences that newspaper brands provide.  there is a growing recognition that Google, Facebook, Snapchat and others benefit significantly from the value that news brands like the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Mail provide. The relationship is not dependent. It is interdependent. 

• Tesco, as you point out, has reduced its print spend, but you fail to mention it has also cut its overall spend by 31%. 

•  If you look at HSBC, it has increased its print advertising budget by no less than 73%.

• The media industry says it wants more video ads, but 12 million people use ad-blocking online.

• 46 million people read newspaper brands each month

In my opinion I agree with the article as newspapers will not go into decline as millions of people depend on it for their news and prefer it over using the internet.