OpenNews

OpenNews is an open-source platform and standard designed to support the collection, normalization, indexing, and distribution of news content from diverse sources. It emphasizes open licensing, attribution, and machine-readable metadata to improve transparency, interoperability, and reproducibility in journalism and research.

The project comprises a core content syndication protocol, an open data model for articles and sources, and reference implementations for publishers, aggregators, and researchers. The data model covers article text, metadata, author and source provenance, licensing, and annotations such as fact-checking notes. Tools and libraries exist across multiple programming languages to facilitate integration and reuse, with an emphasis on openness and interoperability.

OpenNews originated from collaborations among journalists, developers, and researchers who sought to reduce fragmentation in news sharing and to enable independent verification of claims. The initiative is governed through community processes that include public discussions, RFCs, and a steering council elected by contributors. Contributions from nonprofit organizations, independent media, and commercial partners are encouraged under open licenses and documented governance.

Adoption and impact include use by independent publishers, academic institutions, and civic- tech groups. The platform supports reproducible research pipelines, such as constructing datasets for fact-checking and media studies, and provides tools for tracking provenance and licensing to aid accountability. Critics highlight challenges in moderation, potential biases in data curation, and the need for robust provenance controls to prevent misuse while maintaining openness.