AFP is joining forces with Italy's ANSA news agency and Germany's DPA to launch a new website offering data journalism on the European Union.

The European Data News Hub will launch in June and offer text reporting, still and interactive graphics, photos and videos in five languages, AFP said in a statement Wednesday.

The website will be free to access and available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The site "aims to inform and inspire debate about events shaping the lives of people in Europe and across the world, ranging from the state of the environment to the impact of migration or unemployment", AFP said.

"Following the launch of the hub, other data journalism specialists and news agencies from across Europe will be invited to take part and contribute, creating a truly European data driven news platform."

The three news agencies will distribute the content on their networks, reaching a worldwide audience including newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations.

The site will receive a grant from the European Commission but will be fully independent editorially.

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This could very well be a step towards centralising the media in Europe such that only  news & opinions sanctioned by the EU commission will fill the main spaces.

I wouldn't for one minute believe the statement about editorial independence.

"Editorially independent" means the journalists are free to accuse people of being Nazis and Islamophobes, just like President Erdogan in Turkey.

You may be right or you may be wrong Bogarde!

The relatively new Al Jazeera hasn't turned out too bad in my opinion! Its reports are often used buy other news services and seem reasonably balanced.

Redmond Neck wrote on Apr 6^th, 2017 at 12:30pm:

You may be right or you may be wrong Bogarde! The relatively new Al Jazeera hasn't turned out too bad in my opinion! Its reports are often used buy other news services and seem reasonably balanced.

Those are not the kind of odds I like

issuevoter wrote on Apr 6^th, 2017 at 12:12pm:

"Editorially independent" means the journalists are free to accuse people of being Nazis and Islamophobes, just like President Erdogan in Turkey.

Erdogan himself is the Nazi, he really sees himself as Fuhrer or Caliph for a revived Ottoman Empire.
Very likely candidate to start a war.

bogarde73 wrote on Apr 6^th, 2017 at 3:31pm:

Redmond Neck wrote on Apr 6th, 2017 at 12:30pm: You may be right or you may be wrong Bogarde! The relatively new Al Jazeera hasn't turned out too bad in my opinion! Its reports are often used buy other news services and seem reasonably balanced. Those are not the kind of odds I like

Al Jazeera  used a lot of ex BBC reporters when it started up, I hold BBC in pretty high regard

Well Bogie what news service is 100% balanced or to put it another way what is the best in your eyes Foxnews?

That puts me to the test Red. I'd have to think long & hard about that, I glance at so many things and it depends on what news I'm looking for; ie. is it about Europe, the US, business & economics?

The Wall St Journal is pretty good and fairly  balanced.
Strangely enough I find RT (Russia Today?) pretty good on some things.
The Washington Times & Washington Examiner are good on US politics. I think the Washington Post is totally discredited.
Breitbart has gone downhill a bit since Bannon left.
Express.co.uk is good for UK politics and some European.

Plus there are many internet sources I like such as zerohedge.com and frontpagemag.com.
I won't bore you with the business & economics things.