Amid increasing tensions with EU regulators and publishers, internet giant Google announced that it will spend EUR150 million ($164 million) in Europe on grants for digital journalism experimentation.
Additionally, the organisation said it will work with European newspapers and journalism organisations to create items and expand income, critical for a cash-strapped newspaper industry that has attempted to stay afloat in the Internet age.
The pledge is the latest attempt by Google to present a friendlier front in Europe, where it is confronting antitrust charges and has experienced harsh criticism from some publishers over its strategies.
In the last few years, Google has faced challenges from European newspapers over the search giant's use of headlines and other content on its Google News site. Google has refused to pay publishers for the content, instead choosing to forego linking to stories or content. After seeing a drop in traffic, publishers often relent.
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