New Delhi, Jan 9 (KNN) Tech giant Google has unveiled the second cohort of the Google News Initiative (GNI) Startup Labs in India, collaborating with Anymind Group and T-Hub, on Monday.

This three-month program is aimed towards assisting independent, early-stage Indian news startups in achieving financial and operational sustainability.

Ten news startups were selected fr0m a pool of over 100 applicants nationwide under this initiative, covering diverse journalism categories across multiple Indian languages.

Google, in a press release, highlighted the variety of categories, including investigative, political, medical, youth, climate, and local news, aiming to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.

The selected cohort represents newsrooms fr0m across the country, producing content in various Indian languages such as English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu, the release explained.

The GNI Startups Lab, a startup acceleration program initiated by Google, focuses on supporting news-based content creators.

The program's objective is to facilitate innovation among news startups and foster the development of new, inclusive, and sustainable business models, as detailed on the company's website.

Google emphasised that the GNI Startups Lab India specifically aims to enhance high-quality reporting for local communities, niche audiences, and previously underserved communities throughout India.

Beyond the startup labs, Google highlighted its additional efforts in 2023 under the GNI initiative, including the GNI India Training Network and Data Dialogue.

The company claimed to have supported the training of more than 15,000 journalists and journalism students in over 15 languages, impacting over 240 newsrooms and media colleges.

In reaffirming its commitment to combating misinformation, Google collaborated with subject matter experts to empower journalists and newsrooms with digital tools and skills necessary for finding, verifying, and sharing engaging stories while addressing the persistent challenges of misinformation in the ever-evolving media landscape.

(KNN Bureau)