The ABC will today roll out a new online feature designed to give its audiences greater access to stories from other news organisations.
The “From other news sites” service on individual stories will help strengthen Australia’s media ecology by listing and linking to similar news reports on other sites. While the focus will be on domestic news, ABC audiences will also be pointed to popular international news services including the BBC and New York Times.
The innovative feature, based on the BBC’s Newstracker service, has been launched today and will be expanded over coming weeks.
Regional publications are an important part of the service and stories covered by the ABC from rural and regional Australia will link through to reports of those issues by local media outlets.
ABC managing director Mark Scott said the new service demonstrates the ABC’s commitment to its audience in providing the best possible service from its websites.
“We are happy to bring audiences in and help them find the information they need, even if that means directing them to another site. If our service is valuable, we know they will come back.”
ABC Director of News Kate Torney said the initiative would help make the online news environment even more vibrant and enrich the experience for users. “It is great for our audience and also for the entire media industry,” she said.