Google launches free digital training for small news publishers

Google has launched a free training programme for small-to-medium sized news publishers. The programme will help establish their online business who have more recently started developing their digital platforms.

The programme, Digital Growth Programme under the Google News Initiative (GNI), is available in six countries -  Spain, the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland and France.

"It's all in local languages, and many more countries to follow in the coming months," the tech giant said in a statement.

Also Read: Google extends fact-checking to image search

Last month, Google announced a new licensing programme to pay publishers for high-quality content. Google has signed partnerships with Spiegel Group in Germany, Schwartz media in Australia, and Diarios Associados in Brazil.

Also Read: Google to pay select publishers for 'high quality' news content

This programme will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience. "Google will also offer to pay for free access for users to read paywalled articles on a publisher's site," the statement said.

The programme comes amid growing calls for internet tech titans to pay for content.

(With inputs from agencies)