About the DPA | E-Readers & Tablets Buyer's Guide | DPA Tablet Research Project | DPA Members | Tablet & E-Reader Symposiums | Emprint | Newsbooks | Opinion
About the DPA
The Digital Publishing Alliance (DPA) is a member-supported initiative of the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Its mission is to bring together leaders and innovators from forward-thinking organizations to pursue new strategies, digital content products and business models for publishing and journalism, with an emphasis on news applications for media tablets and e-readers.
The RJI provides administrative support for the DPA and resources for DPA-funded projects in addition to hosting DPA meeting and symposiums.
Strategies
- Initiate projects that enhance the value and revenue potential of current and future digital publishing products and services.
- Serve as a clearinghouse for information about media tablets and e-readers, news applications and products, and digital publishing tools and processes.
- Leverage the market power of members to influence vendors and developers.
- Conduct and analyze research that can help members better understand how widespread adoption of media tablets and e-readers may influence the future of journalism and the news media.
- Provide training and support that allow members to take full advantage of new devices and digital publishing technologies.
- Regularly exchange information about projects, priorities, possibilities, and best practices.
- Test and evaluate digital publishing applications, strategies and business models.
- Test and evaluate media tablets and e-readers.
Membership categories
The DPA currently has four membership categories. The annual dues for each category can be found on the application forms. To download the PDF application form, click on the appropriate category heading below.
- For-Profit Publishers: Newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, and news Web sites.
- Technology Companies: Manufacturers, digital publishing service providers, software companies, developers, and other related technology enterprises
- Advertisers & Marketers: Advertisers, advertising agencies, public relations firms, marketing and distribution companies, individual consultants and non-profit entities
- Not-For-Profit Publishers: nonprofit associations, foundations, news organizations and Web sites, educational institutions, and government agencies that publish periodicals or newsletters in print or online
Membership dues
Annual dues are determined by the membership category. Dues are used to:
- Help fund support staff, research assistants and contract workers as required for DPA-funded projects;
- Host meetings, symposiums and workshops;
- Gather and distribute information to members;
- Conduct research and field tests.
Membership benefits
Members get free, first access to all DPA-initiated non-proprietary research data and analyses, device evaluations and documentation, special reports, prototypes, production tools and processes, as well as meetings. (Fees may be charged for some symposiums and workshops.)
Members also can contract with RJI for exclusive production work, customization, research, support and training. (Fees will be negotiated.)
Current DPA Projects
- RJI-DPA Tablet Research Project:
This is a multi-year research project to understand how users of Apple iPads and other media tablets consume news content. The RJI-DPA conducted a national online iPad survey in the fall of 2010, which we followed up with a panel survey in March 2011. An international online tablet survey was conducted in the summer and fall of 2011. The RJI-DPA is now conducting a national phone survey about the use of all mobile media devices for consuming news. - Device Evaluations:
RJI evaluates and publishes reviews of media tablets and e-readers with mobile broadband and/or Wi-Fi access to digital editions of newspapers and magazines. - Electronic Media Print (eMprint):
This is an ongoing initiative led by Roger Fidler at RJI to develop and evaluate reader-friendly editorial and advertising presentation models for news applications displayed on media tablets. It builds on Fidler’s original work at Knight-Ridder and Kent State University. - Digital Newsbook Publishing:
The purpose of this project is to produce and test market a new digital content product with revenue potential for publishers. Digital Newsbooks are defined by RJI as substantive, visually rich eBooks on timely, newsworthy topics. Their content consists primarily of journalistic investigative and explanatory reports that were originally published in newspapers or magazines. The RJI completed the first phase of this project in 2010. RJI plans to develop and test market a Digital Newsbook application for the Apple iPad and other media tablets in 2012.
