Eleven digital-only news organisations announced on Tuesday that they had united to start a body that would “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” in India.
“Despite the growth of digital-only news organisations in India, there is no single body representing the country’s digital news ecosystem,” the Digipub News India Foundation said in a press release. The organisation, registered earlier in October, aims to fill that gap.
Scroll.in is among the founding members of the organisation, along with fact-checking websites Alt News, Boomlive, Article 14, Cobrapost, HW News, Newsclick, Newslaundry, The News Minute, The Quint and The Wire.
Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of The News Minute is the chairperson of the Digipub News India Foundation, while Newsclick editor Prabir Purkayastha is the vice-chairperson. The Quint co-founder Ritu Kapur and Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri are the general secretaries of the foundation.
Independent or freelance journalists working with digital news websites can also become members.
In a press release, the foundation noted that the pursuits and interests of legacy media may not always be the same as that of digital newsrooms. It noted that this was especially applicable in the context of regulation, business models, technology and other structures.
The foundation said it would strive to take the best practices from legacy media and hone them to meet the requirements of the digital age.
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