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News Corp launches new kids website, Kids News

News Corp has launched a national news website for children and teachers, Kids News.

Aiming to teach students the importance of trusted news sources and improve general knowledge, the website will source content from News Corp’s mastheads including The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Advertiser, The Mercury and NT News as well as regional titles.

The launch of News Corp’s newest website comes a month after the closure of Australia’s only children’s newspaper, Crinkling News.

News Corp believes the new title – which will run as a standalone site – will ‘inspire the next generation of readers’.

The website will feature two new stories a day written in child-friendly language, and will be targeted to children in years three to six. It is also linked to the national curriculum, with learning activities available under each news story.

Kids News will be led by Herald Sun’s associate editor, Toni Hetherington, who has been part of the title since its inception as a pilot program last year. She will now take the role national education publisher.

A sample glossy, which appears at the bottom of each story

Chairman of the Herald and Weekly Times and News Corp Australia community ambassador, Penny Fowler, said the launch was an important part of News Corp’s commitment to education.

“We hope students around the country will embrace this dedicated news site, and teachers find it an invaluable tool to better educate and inform their students about what is happening in Australia and around the world,” Fowler said.

Damian Eales, chief operating officer, publishing at News Corp Australia, said Kids News was an “extension” of the publisher’s commitment to communities.

“We have been overwhelmed by the popularity and success of Kids News since rolling it out as a pilot program in 2017 to Victorian schools and have already attracted a readership of over 110,000 teachers and students. We expect this to significantly increase as we take it national,” Eales said.

Children can also engage with the content through classroom activities

Publisher Hetherington, said the title could give teachers a new tool to improve literacy. She also said it would be attractive to advertisers.

HP appears to be one of the first sponsors of the title.

“Kids News offers both national and local advertisers access to a niche and engaged audience including students, teachers and parents. And the fact the site encourages learning is very attractive to advertisers,” Hetherington said.

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