Wan-Ifra has announced that the Web3 Foundation will support the Web3 media pilot project produced in partnership with David Tomchak and provide expertise and funding during the research phase. 

A collaborative project bringing together local and international news publishers and technologists, the pilot announced in July will assess how Web3 can be used to help build ongoing trust and develop new sources of revenue for news publishers and content producers.

The project, led by David Tomchak, a visiting policy fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, will be implemented between October and December 2022 and will bring together local and international news publishers and technologists to research practical applications of decentralized technologies for the publishing industry. 

The primary outcome of the research part of the pilot is to provide learning and a space to share knowledge between media and Web3 industries. The resulting blueprint will include a technical roadmap for product development and will be available for public consultation.

Ursula O’Kuinghttons, director of communications and partnerships at Web3 Foundation, said, ”We feel strongly that Web3 can play a leading role in modernizing how digital news will be created, provided, distributed, and monetized in the future. The proliferation of centralized social media channels has made it hard for people to identify trusted news sources, and this project can play a leading role in addressing those concerns.”

Thanks to the support from the Web3 Foundation, Wan-Ifra will provide funds to its members interested in participating in the project. The bursaries, ranging between Euro 1,500 and Euro 4,000, will compensate members for the time they will commit to the project.

Wan-Ifra members interested in participating in the project are invited to fill in the application form before 11 September 2022, 0329 hrs IST.

The project management team will select a maximum of three media organizations, members of Wan-Ifra, to start the pilot at the beginning of October.

“It is crucial to understand as soon as possible the implications of Web3 for publishers in the future. The only way to be relevant in our research and conclusions is to involve our members as early as possible in the process. We are proud and grateful to the Web3 Foundation for supporting us in doing so,”commented Stephen Fozard, project director, Global Alliance for Media Innovation at Wan-Ifra (GAMI).

Amon other important trends in the industry, Web3 will be one of the many topics on the World News Media Congress program to be held in Zaragoza from 28-30 September 2022.

Wan-Ifra, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organization of the world's press. Web3 Foundation funds research and development teams building the technology stack of the decentralized web. It was established in Zug, Switzerland, by Ethereum co-founder and former chief technology officer Gavin Wood.