Project Sigma: Empowering Malaysian Newsrooms to Connect with Gen Z
Google today announced the successful culmination of Project Sigma: Engaging Malaysian Gen Z for News, a collaborative programme with the Ministry of Communications Malaysia aimed at helping local news organisations better connect with the country’s younger generation of news consumers. The company also unveiled two new initiatives focused on building Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy within the Malaysian journalism landscape.
Project Sigma: Understanding and Engaging Gen Z News Consumers
Project Sigma, launched in December 2024 with the Ministry’s support, initially brought together six prominent Malaysian newsrooms: Astro AWANI, Berita Harian, Malaysiakini, Sinar Daily, Sin Chew Daily, and The Star. Over the course of the next ten weeks, these organisations subsequently collaborated to pilot a range of Gen Z-focused initiatives. Specifically, they explored new content formats, experimented with emerging platforms, and developed engagement strategies tailored to how young Malaysians—who constitute 26% of the population—consume news.
Key Findings from Gen Z Engagement Experiments
The experiments yielded valuable insights, including the effectiveness of:
- Vertical Video and In-App Tools: Driving higher user acquisition and longer engagement times through vertical video formats and user-friendly in-app discovery tools.
- Interactive Content: Capturing the attention of female audiences aged 18 to 28 with interactive formats like quizzes.
- Visual Storytelling: Resonating with Gen Z’s preference for visual storytelling through motion graphics and animated visuals.
The findings from Project Sigma have been compiled into a comprehensive report, which, in turn, offers actionable guidance for Malaysian newsrooms seeking to strengthen their engagement with Gen Z audiences. Moreover, the report emphasises the importance of embracing experimentation as a core newsroom mindset in order to remain relevant in the rapidly changing media environment.
New Initiatives to Boost AI Literacy in Malaysian Journalism
Building on the momentum of Project Sigma, Google also announced two new initiatives aimed at fostering AI literacy within the Malaysian journalism community:
AI Literacy Partnership with the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI)
Commencing in June 2025, this partnership will equip journalists and journalism students with the necessary AI tools and skills to produce accurate, contextual, and engaging digital news content. Moreover, the collaboration will integrate comprehensive training on Google’s AI content creation tools, alongside best practices for audience growth and advertising revenue, into MPI’s course offerings throughout 2025. Ultimately, this initiative combines MPI’s media training expertise with Google’s support for digital-age journalism.
Launch of the News AI Lab in Malaysia
This 18-month programme will assist local news publishers in adopting AI tools to enhance the creation, distribution, and monetisation of quality news content. The programme will offer online courses, hands-on in-person workshops, and ongoing support to foster AI innovation within both editorial and business operations of news organisations.
