SUWANEE, Ga. — The Index News Service has been launched to provide Georgia-centric religion coverage to the state’s newspapers at no cost.
The Christian Index, the nation’s oldest religious newspaper, created the news service to provide access to the kind of content readers want in a state where, according to the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of residents consider religion “very important” in their lives.
The news service’s articles and photos are available on a newly created webpage, IndexNewsService.com.
“Georgia is home to millions of churchgoers who have a keen interest in religion coverage,” said Roger Alford, editor of The Christian Index and founder of the news service. “Unfortunately, shrinking budgets mean many community newspapers no longer have the staff to provide this coverage.”
Alford, a retired Associated Press correspondent, said wire services, including the AP, have recognized the interest in religion coverage and have begun marketing stories to newspapers.
“What sets us apart is that we’re offering content focused on Georgia and doing so at no charge,” Alford said. “We see our news service as a ministry of sorts to newspapers that have been financially devastated by declining revenue from advertising and subscriptions. We’re committed to providing newspapers with top quality religion news, features, commentary, and photos.”
Editors can pick and choose articles and photos from the website. They can also opt to have stories uploaded automatically.
Henry Durand, news editor at The Christian Index and Index News Service, said he understands the need for newspapers to have quality photographs to dress up their pages and to grab attention on social media.
“We make every effort to have high resolution photos accompanying all of our written content,” said Durand, whose three decades in journalism includes stints at Reuters, The Associated Press, and CNN. “A good many Georgia newspapers already use articles and photos from The Christian Index to dress up their religion and church pages. Nothing will change for them, except that the articles will be rebranded with Index News Service bylines.”
The Christian Index and the Index News Service are funded by 3,400 Georgia Baptist churches that work together through an initiative they call the Cooperative Program.
