Poynter, Google News Initiative team up to help local newsrooms reach Gen Z

Funded by the Google News Initiative (GNI), VidSpark will help local publishers create fresh content to connect with young people, acquainting them with local news organizations as trustworthy sources of information, and showing the investigative process.

The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism education, announced today the launch of VidSpark, a year-long program to help local newsrooms reach next-generation audiences online via engaging and shareable social video.

Funded by the Google News Initiative (GNI), the program will help local publishers create fresh content to connect with young people, acquainting them with local news organizations as trustworthy sources of information, and showing the investigative process.

"People in their teens and twenties are looking for content that's important, but also engaging, fun, and relatable. We don't need to seek out information; thanks to a variety of social feeds and specialized algorithms, it comes to us. But it doesn't always come from trustworthy sources," Ahsante Bean, Poynter's editor and the head of Vidspark, wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Poynter and GNI have shortlisted three newsrooms for the program. They include WTSP, a TV station in Tampa Bay, Florida, the radio station at WGBH News in Boston, Massachusetts, and The Star Tribune, a newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As part of the program, each newsroom will receive USD 25,000 to build out and promote their video production efforts. Additionally, Poynter will provide funding, coaching, and hands-on support in the areas of content development, audience engagement, and platform optimization.

"We will showcase each newsroom's unique talents, areas of expertise, and local character. We'll have the freedom to play across platforms; we could create an IGTV series on climate change with a quirky host, or a YouTube show that talks about current events in a fun way," Ahsante further added.

Over the course of this year, Poynter will collaborate on a video series with the participating outlets. After a year of learning, Poynter will create a playbook of best practices that will help shape the larger local news landscape across the United States.