The International Media Center (IMC Rhône-Alpes), to be located in Saint-Etienne in east central France, is a joint initiative of WAN-IFRA, Université Jean Monnet and Université Lumière Lyon 2.

"The new center based in France will be dedicated to training and research in newsroom integration and in the use of new digital technologies and practices in media. The goal is to provide a testing ground for the newsroom of the future and anticipate changes in the work of journalists in coming years," said Christoph Riess, CEO of WAN-IFRA, at the presentation ceremony.

"WAN-IFRA is already the acknowledged leader in newsroom organisation and training through our international Newsplex operations, and this latest initiative will extend and complement this work for the benefit of the future of the news publishing industry world-wide," he said.

The media center, to be operational in April 2012, is part of the Manufacture Plaine Achille urban development project in Saint-Etienne, a 10-year urban development project that includes an urban campus and creative hub combining teaching, research, economic activities, culture, housing and recreation.

Other partners in the International Media Center (IMC Rhône-Alpes) include the Région Rhône-Alpes, the Conseil Général de la Loire, and the Saint-Etienne Métropole.

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organisation was created by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.

Learn more about WAN-IFRA at www.wan-ifra.org or through the WAN-IFRA Magazine.

Inquiries to:

Larry Kilman, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, WAN-IFRA, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org.

Octavia Amsellem, Responsible Presse, WAN-IFRA South West Europe, au +33 4 72 77 05 95, E-mail octavia.amsellem@wan-ifra.org