Four Romanian journalism projects were selected for financing in the fifth round of Google’s Digital News Initiative program.

The total financing for these four projects amounts to EUR 189,000. Google selected a total of 98 projects that will receive EUR 21 million in this round. The four Romanian projects are prototype projects. Two of the projects are backed by local media outlets and two are independent projects with a civic approach.

Lagardere’s Europa FM radio station plans to develop a new way to deliver news to busy people and the young generation on multiple devices. Users will also have the possibility to use voice commands to control the news they receive.

Local news platform Republica.ro also aims to find new ways of creating and delivering news stories using Natural Language Understanding system, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence that allow users to interact with the text or audio content of the web platform with voice commands.

Local civic group Funky Citizens aims to reinvent community-focused journalism and deliver news and analyses relevant to the community in Bucharest and Romanian investigation journalist Sorin Ozon plans to create a database for investigation journalists.

editor@romania-insider.com