MANILA - Google said Wednesday it has been continuously supporting news publishers to innovate and inform the public in the digital age as consumers change the way they consume content.

Google invests in products to help publishers succeed as well as drive traffic to these sources, Google Asia Pacific News Partnership Director Kate Beddoe told the media in a briefing.

"Our intention is to get people the answers to their questions as quickly as possible. They click through and consume the content on your site," Beddoe said.

In support of news publishers, Google said it has driven 24 billion visits to news sites globally.

It has also empowered news organizations with products that drive revenue such as digital ads, reader revenues, or help in data-driven decisions, she said.

In 2018, Google launched its $300 million program called Google News Initiative (GNI) which aims to help news publishers thrive in the digital era and elevate quality journalism, she added.

These programs are also crucial in boosting the fight against misinformation especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Google Asia Pacific News Lab head Irene Jay Liu said.

It also has programs to create a "more diverse and inclusive" news ecosystem, Liu said.

Liu said in pursuit of strengthening journalism and boosting trust, the Google News Lab, which was launched in 2015, had trained over 171,000 journalists in the Asia Pacific Region alone.

The GNI has also committed $33 million in funding to support over 1,000 news partners in 32 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, she added.

The use of digital in everyday life, including content consumption and payments, has risen significantly in the last few years as consumers gear up for the new normal.

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