11 Digital-Only Platforms Join Hands to Launch DIGIPUB for a ‘Healthy News Ecosystem’

New Delhi: To “represent, define and protect” the fast-growing digital news media sector in India, 11 top names in the field on Tuesday launched a new organisation – DIGIPUB News India Foundation -- to ensure a “healthy and robust” digital-only news ecosystem

The 11 founding members of DIGIPUB are Alt News, Article 14, Boomlive, Cobrapost, HW News, Newsclick, Newslaundry, Scroll, The News Minute, The Quint and The Wire.

According to a press statement issued here on Tuesday, DIGIPUB said it “hopes to take the best practices from legacy media and hone these to specifically meet the needs of digital media,” adding that it “looks forward to the support and collaboration of journalists, entrepreneurs, news professionals and news consumers, to nurture an organisation which will represent, define and protect this digital-only news ecosystem.”

The Foundation is headed by chairperson Dhanya Rajendran from The News Minute, the vice chairperson is Prabir Purkayastha from Newsclick and the two general secretaries are Ritu Kapur from The Quint and Abhinandan Sekhri from Newslaundry.

Stating one its key defining aspects, the Foundation said “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”, and called for support and collaboration of journalists, entrepreneurs, news professionals and news consumers.

Read the full statement below:

DIGIPUB News India Foundation: an organisation representing digital-only news platforms

October 27, India: The DIGIPUB News India Foundation has been officially announced today (created and registered earlier this month). The members of DIGIPUB News India Foundation include news platforms which are solely digital. The Foundation has been established with the intent to help ensure the creation of a healthy and robust news ecosystem for the digital age. The aim is to effectively represent digital news media organisations and membership is open to digital-only ventures, as well as media commentators and independent journalists active in the digital news space.

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE FOUNDATION ARE:

1.Alt News

2.Article 14

3.Boomlive

4.Cobrapost

5.HW News

6.Newsclick

7.Newslaundry

8.Scroll

9.The News Minute

10.The Quint

11.The Wire

Despite the growth of digital-only news organisations in India, there is no single body representing the country’s digital news ecosystem. DIGIPUB News India Foundation has been created to represent, amplify and evolve best practices to build a robust digital news ecology that is truly world-class, independent and upholds the highest standards of journalism.

One of the aims of the Foundation is to underline the fact that the pursuits and interests of legacy media may not always be the same as that of digital media – especially in regards to regulation, business models, technology and structures. DIGIPUB News India Foundation has been created to address the need for an organisation to represent and accurately amplify the interests of digital-only news media.

One of the key defining aspects 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. Membership to the DIGIPUB News India Foundation is open to independent/freelance journalists who work in the digital news ecosystem.

The Foundation hopes to take the best practices from legacy media and hone these to specifically meet the needs of digital media. There is a huge potential in the caliber 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. DIGIPUB News India Foundation looks forward to the support and collaboration of journalists, entrepreneurs, news professionals and news consumers, to nurture an organisation which will represent, define and protect this digital-only news ecosystem.

Office Holders:

Chairperson - Dhanya Rajendran, The News Minute

Vice Chairperson - Prabir Purkayastha, Newsclick