News apps, digital transformations and news initiatives: Here is your weekly journalism news update

Every Friday, Journalism.co.uk brings you a round-up of our week’s top stories, giving you all the information you need to know, wherever you are.

Here is the latest journalism news from this week:

How news app Kinzen will enable users to create their own daily news routine

Launching in January, news app Kinzen is aiming to enable users to take control of their own news routine, one that is personalised and tailored to their intentions.

The Dublin-based venture Kinzen, co-founded by Mark Little, Áine Kerr and Paul Watson, uses decision-based feedback to aggregate articles of interest, as opposed tracking your browser history or going by what your friends and family are reading.

'The basis for further digital transformation has been laid' – A look back on the expansion of the BBC World Service

Image by BBC News Telugu

Last year, the BBC World Service undertook its biggest expansion since the 1940's, having launched 12 new language services in Africa and Asia in just nine months.

Teams in Nigeria, India, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Korea and Serbia were developed to bring the BBC's journalism to wider audiences around the world, in more languages including Afaan Oromo, Gujarati, Pidgin, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.

In this week's podcast, we speak to digital development editor Dmitry Shishkin, who is responsible for the digital development of the BBC's language services.

‘We learned not to treat everybody the same’: Why The Independent chose a membership-style model over paywalls

In 2016, The Independent ceased its print subscription model and went online only. Since then, it has given online readers the choice of watching ads for content, registering a free account or subscribing to its Daily Edition app — until recently that is.

Launched in September, Independent Minds is the latest tier in the subscription model and Christian Broughton, editor, The Independent, said it promises a mixed bag of rewards for readers stumping up their cash after reflecting on past models, rather than acting as a strict paywall.

New resource helps US newsrooms address the 'dramatic decline of local journalism'

US local newsrooms facing hard times have a new resource at their fingertips to address growing concerns over their sustainability.

As pressure mounts on local news organisations to stay afloat in the digital market, the common question is: do newsrooms need to look at adopting new business models to survive?

To help them address this concern, Northwestern Local News Initiative has brought out a new article series reporting the emerging trends from their two-year research and development project, announced back in April.

Five free proofreading tools that every journalist should know about

Let's face it, even the most experienced writer can get carried away with too many adjectives or fail to notice the odd typo. But as easy as it is to do so, mistakes like these can leave the reader struggling to make it through your copy.

So whether it is for that quick turn-around piece or a long-form feature, tight and clear prose is essential to whatever form of journalism you are pursuing. 

Check out these free resources to iron out any bad habits – they are all free and ready to help you tackle some of the most common problems that writers have.

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