The Associated Press and Google have joined forces to invest in the future of digital journalism in the US, announcing a scholarship that will fund the work of six American students every year. Each recipient will receive $20,000 for graduate or undergraduate projects that link journalism and computer science or new media.

The project aims to push "inclusivity" rather than exclusivity within the field of digital journalism, attempting to encourage greater gender, ethnic and also geographical diversity within the field. However, it is not yet clear exactly how the organisations intend to encourage people from such varied social groups to apply for the scholarship.

The funding Google has provided for the scholarship is only part of the company's $5 million pledge to invest in digital journalism, a commitment which has seen it support another journalistic organization: The Knight Foundation. This financial commitment is part of Google's policy of donating 1% of company profits to charity.

Sources: Associated Press-Google online news association , Mashable.com