GOOG Alphabet Inc

   By Josh Beckerman 
 

A year after Google launched the $300 million Google News Initiative, the company said it is collaborating with McClatchy Co. (MNI) on "The Compass Experiment," to provide local news.

The effort will serve three unnamed small-to-medium U.S. communities "that don't have access to significant local sources of news and information."

The Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) unit "is helping support the effort financially," according to a blog post by McClatchy Chief Executive Craig Forman, who said McClatchy will have 100% ownership and operation of the sites, including sole editorial control.

McClatchy, which owns the Miami Herald and Charlotte Observer, was one of the launch partners for the Subscribe with Google feature that started last year.

In addition to working with publishers on subscriptions and membership-based models, Google's news-focused technology efforts have included audience analytics and helping fight "toxic" comment sections.

McClatchy said March 7 that it swung to a fourth-quarter loss but posted strong growth in digital subscriptions.

Write to Josh Beckerman at josh.beckerman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 26, 2019 15:26 ET (19:26 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.