The International Press Institute (IPI) is pleased to report that 26 ‘finalist’ IPI News Innovation Contest projects have been reviewed by our Advisory Board. The IPI News Innovation Contest is aimed at advancing the future of digital news by funding new ways to inform communities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
After short-listing more than 300 applications received from across the world, the IPI News Innovation Contest team reduced the number of projects to 71 – from which the 26 finalists were chosen, based on their innovative ideas. The proposals have been under review by a panel of experts from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United States during the past few weeks. The experts offered final feedback on the projects they feel should be funded next year.
“We have brought together a unique group of experts in digital media, news platforms, journalism, online economic models, training and press freedom, among other domains, who provided us with their recommendations,” said IPI Grants Officer José Otárola-Silesky. “Their support is invaluable for the success of the Contest.”
The group of experts is formed by:
Alison Bethel-Mckenzie
• Executive Director, International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna, Austria
• 25 years’ experience in journalism as a reporter, bureau chief, senior editor and trainer
• Former Senior Assistant City Editor at the Boston Globe; former Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for the Detroit News; former Managing Editor at the Nassau Guardian, in the Bahamas
Anthony Dara
• TV broadcast engineer by training
• Founder of NN24 (Network News 24), Nigeria’s first 24-hour news channel, in 2008
• Worked with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), ITV Central and Bloomberg TV in the UK, and Snell and Wilcox Ltd, a leading global TV broadcast equipment manufacturer
Torsten De Riese
• Managing Director of NewsCred Ltd., which helps traditional publishers monetise their content online
• Worked as Digital Director at CNBC Europe leading CNBC’s digital strategy for the EMEA region
• Specialties: e-readers, apps, platform publishing, digital marketing, strategic media technology, licensing, copyright, digitisation
Jeff Jarvis
• Former President and Creative Director of Advance Internet, the online arm of Advance Publications
• Associate Professor and Director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism
• Creator of the popular weblog, BuzzMachine, which tracks developments in new media
Daoud Kuttab
• General Manager, Community Media Network, Amman, Jordan
• Founder, AmmanNet, Amman, Jordan, the Arab world’s first Internet radio station
• An IPI member and IPI World Press Freedom Hero, tuned in to press freedom and media landscapes across the Middle East
• Articles have appeared regularly in the Jordan Times, Jerusalem Post and Gulf News, as well as many other publications
Fernando Samaniego
• Chief Digital Officer and Advisor to the Board, Grupo Ferre Rangel, Puerto Rico, USA
• Former COO of Publications, Online & IT, Arab Media Group (AMG), Dubai, UAE
• 15+ years experience on four continents transforming traditional media companies into new media market leaders and managing complex digital operations with massive traffic
• Extensive work with media organisations worldwide including newspapers, TV, Internet, and mobile
Amy Webb
• CEO and Principal Consultant, Webbmedia, Baltimore, USA
• 15+ years working with digital media, founder of several web-based companies
• Clients have said that Amy has “an encyclopedic knowledge of the tech industry,” and “immediate access to all of the latest and most important trends”
For more information about the IPI News Innovation Contest Advisory Board, please visit our website: www.ipinewscontest.org
