Build with journalists, trust incentivizing media pilot.

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Build with journalists, trust incentivizing media pilot.

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

250000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

12

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Journalism faces a crisis of trust. The volume of manipulated media, astro-turfing, IP loss, and deepfakes are eroding public trust as well as breaking revenue models for independent journalism.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://timepath.co/
,
• https://www.adamoments.io/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

Only the common sense dependencies exist such as infrastructure providers, Dutch government, etc.

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

MIT 2.0 license for any open source development work.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Business Services

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe your established collaborations.

timepath.co/Timepath has serviced over 1 billion views to the Dutch-EU media market with its established interactive storytelling platform used by major media brands such as RTL news, DPG Media and Mediahuis. These media brands serve a highly digital-savvy population, an ideal target for understanding the advantages blockchain has to offer. More current media platforms using timepath.co can be found on the website.

https://www.adamoments.io/ is an early stage startup with ties to Amsterdam grass-roots journalists.

Describe funding commitments.

This is confidential in nature however it can be stated that one of the projects has recievend financial support from the Dutch government for the purpose of persuig solutions closely aligned with the problem statement.

Describe your key performance metrics.

• 100+ reach to Dutch-EU journalists through collaborative workshops to create the pilot program
• Create and integrate pilot content authenticator based on destributed technology on top of existing infastructures and platforms
• Integrating the trusted media pilot at 3 media outlets
• 1 Million+ in views of the trusted verified media pilot program
• Opening of pilot program findings to wider journalistic community

We need to onboard journalists to understand how to solve the dis-infomration problem. After workshopping and creating the pilot it will be integrated to test in production.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Journalism faces a crisis of trust. The sheer volume of manipulated media, astro-turfing, and deepfakes are eroding public trust in media and news outlets. Centralized platforms, algorithms, and AI advancements micro-target people with sensationalist media. There is a need for verified data ownership and lineage between the news writers the consumer.

Media outlets and independent journalists must differentiate how they connect to their audiences to build on their digital track records of truth while adapting to hyper digital realities.

We propose to put media houses and independent journalists at the forefront by working shoulder-to-shoulder to develop new definitions of distributed trust.

Media brands such as RTL news, DPG Media and Mediahuis already serve a highly digital-savvy population. However few blockchain-based solutions to earmark authenticity, data ownership, and economic incentives. In our hands on proof-of-concept building we de-mistify the technology and work to establish practical ways to (re-)build trusted reader relationships.

The Cardano-native decentralized social media platform ‘Moments’ (adamoments.io) is partnering with the interactive storytelling company Timepath.co who has already served 1Billion+ views by working with major news outlets in the Netherlands and EU. Via a Dutch-government grant to counter fake-media, and being established platforms, this proposal is an efficient continuation for developing trust enhancing technology that integrates blockchain and Cardano.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

• Boosting Brand Exposure and Adoption: It will expose the Cardano brand to a tech-savvy Dutch population through established media channels, potentially reaching over 1 billion views. The project also aims for real-world adoption of authenticated mechanisms powered by blockchain and Cardano.
• Onboarding Key Stakeholders: It will onboard Tier 1 Dutch-EU journalists through high-trust, hands-on workshops, fostering new partnerships between Cardano and the media industry.
• Driving Open Source Development: The project will create open-source materials and a Proof of Concept (PoC) that can shape future digital needs for Cardano as a root of trust for media.
• Unlocking Future Funding Opportunities: There's potential for spin-off funding from European Union digital trust initiatives that could build upon the Cardano ecosystem.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Frido van Driem (Timepath.co CEO): Strong background in journalism tools, interactive storytelling for publishers, marketing, and UX. His company, Timepath.co, has already achieved over 1 billion views with major news outlets, demonstrating proven experience in the media industry.

Max van Rossem (AdaMoments.io Founder, AmsterdamNode B.V. CEO): Expertise in Cardano development, decentralized social media, distributed governance, and authentic media. His experience with a Cardano-native platform directly aligns with the technical requirements of the project.

• Established Platforms: Both Timepath.co and AdaMoments.io are existing platforms, reducing the need to build foundational technology from scratch.
• Advisory Team: The inclusion of Maarten Menheere (GameChanger.finance contributor) and Gabriel Talamanted (ARPradio.media Founder) provides additional technical and authentic media expertise.
• Existing Partnerships: Timepath.co's established relationships with major news outlets (RTL news, DPG Media, Mediahuis) and experience with a Dutch government grant to counter fake media provide a strong foundation for engaging with the target audience.
• Clear Problem Statement & Solution: The proposal clearly identifies the crisis of trust in journalism and offers a well-defined solution: developing an application for verifying news authenticity using blockchain and Cardano.
• Phased Approach: The project is broken down into logical phases: workshops for requirements gathering, a pilot for PoC deployment and testing, and a public discourse phase for dissemination. This structured approach increases manageability.
• Open Source Commitment: The commitment to open-source all documentation, requirements, specifications, and code fosters colla

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Part 1: Workshops with tier 1 Dutch journalists to set pilot KPIs

Milestone Outputs

1. (Knowledge transfer check) Blockchain 101, foundation for journalists on Decentralized Ledger Technology. #Consensus algorithms, DLT, cryptography, Nodes, and peer-to-peer, tokenization, Smart-contracts, Self-custody, DIDs, wallets, IPFS.
2. (Specifications I) Incentives for trust, gathering needs from editors, journalists, technical teams, and readers.
3. (Specifications II) Aligning success KPIs, showcasing examples of trusted digital media strategies.

Acceptance Criteria

Each of the five workshops will have a blog released on findings including media shot during the workshop.

1. Workshop participants demonstrate basic understanding of blockchain basics.
2. Workshop I+II participants output KPIs defining pilot success.

Evidence of Completion

• Openly Shared Outputs: Videos, slides, workshop materials published via GitHub repositories or the Timepath/AdaMoments blogs.
• Specifications Input: The workshops requirements input serves as the tangible outcome for aligning incentives and defining success KPIs.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

40000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Pilot part 1- incentivizing and protecting media authenticity:

Milestone Outputs

1. Requirement Scoping and Success Metrics Definition - Define comprehensive requirements to embed users in an authentic content experience across multiple news platforms, establishing clear and measurable success criteria.
2. Development of High-Level Specifications - Create detailed specifications addressing the necessary infrastructure, stakeholder roles, and media business models to support the authentic content ecosystem.
3. User Flow Design and Test Deployment - Architect a decentralized, website-agnostic, and transparent user flow to verify content authenticity; integrate and validate this design through test deployments without backend.

Acceptance Criteria

1. Define comprehensive user requirements for embedding authentic content experiences across multiple news platforms, establish clear and measurable success criteria or KPIs, and secure stakeholder approval for these metrics.
2. Create specifications that address required infrastructure components, clearly define stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and outline media business models to support the authentic content ecosystem, ensuring these specifications are reviewed and approved by key stakeholders.
3. Design and develop a decentralized, website-agnostic, and transparent user flow to verify content authenticity, successfully deploy and validate this flow in test environments without backed integration, and gather user feedback to confirm usability.

Evidence of Completion

1. Success metrics document showcasing the key outcomes to be met for the pilot
2. High-level specification document of technical stakeholder requirements.
3. Tested user flows deployed with user feedback providing early indication of key KPIs.

Delivery Month

7

Cost

80000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

Pilot part 2 - incentivizing and protecting media authenticity:

Milestone Outputs

1. Technical Media Stakeholder Workshop - Convene a specialized session with technical teams from key media outlets to capture detailed requirements and align on implementation strategies.
2. Development with backend integreation - Develop the final form of the pilot for refinement.
3. A/B Testing Deployment in Production Sub-Environments -Conduct A/B testing for ‘verified’ and ‘protected’ article features within designated subsections of live news websites to evaluate user interface and experience preferences.
4. Proof of Concept Re-Deployment and KPI Measurement - Re-deploy the pilot across multiple news website sub-environments, systematically measuring key performance indicators related to monetization, data protection, and user satisfaction to validate project success.

Acceptance Criteria

1. Conduct a specialized workshop with technical teams from major media outlets to collect detailed requirements, align on implementation strategies, and distribute comprehensive workshop summaries including agreed next steps.
2. Develop the pilot solution with full backend integration, perform internal testing to verify backend functionality, and deploy the pilot in a controlled environment for stakeholder review.
3. Execute A/B testing of ‘verified’ and ‘protected’ article features within production sub-environments of live news websites, collect and analyze user interaction and experience data, and produce recommendations based on the findings.
4. Re-deploy the prooff of concept across multiple news website sub-environments, systematically measure key performance indicators related to monetization, data protection, and user satisfaction, confirm these KPIs meet or exceed defined success thresholds, and deliver a final validation report outlining project success and future plans.

Evidence of Completion

1. Github access state of pilot development and feedback from technical teams.
2. Backend-integrated pilot developed and reviewed.
3. A/B test completed with analyzed user data, early KPIsand recommendations.
4. Pilot re-deployed with KPI reports meeting success criteria with user views of the pilot softawre in NL and EU

The primary goal is for multiple media websites verifiably deploying the pilot software on their producton environments leading to genuine user data and KPI tracking. Clear reporting of feedback from various stakeholders for future advancement.

Delivery Month

10

Cost

120000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Opening public discourse of trusted media

Milestone Outputs

1. Release comprehensive documentation and open-source all results and code from the media pilot to public repositories with clear licensing and usage guidelines.
2. Organize and conduct a round table discussion with key stakeholders, including media representatives, technical teams, and community members, to review pilot outcomes and gather feedback for future improvements.
3. Finalize and close down all pilot data in compliance with GDPR and security protocols, including secure data archiving or deletion, and provide a report confirming adherence to data protection requirements.

Acceptance Criteria

1. Release complete documentation and open-source media pilot results with clear licensing and usage instructions for public access.
2. Conduct a round table with key stakeholders to review outcomes, discuss feedback, and plan future directions collaboratively.
3. Securely close pilot data per GDPR requirements, ensuring proper archiving or deletion, and provide compliance confirmation report.

Evidence of Completion

1. Publicly accessible repository with documentation and open-source code.
2. Meeting minutes and stakeholder feedback records from round table.
3. Data closure report confirming GDPR compliance and secure data handling.

Delivery Month

12

Cost

10000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Workshops - 70,000 ADA

• 10,000 ADA: Organization: Staff time for planning (internal staff).
• 40,000 ADA: Venues, material,sound, food drinks in Amsterdam: conference rooms media recording
• 5,000 ADA: Small remuneration for specialized speakers
• 15,000 ADA: Documentation, KPI docs, and reporting / blogs, media publishing.

Pilot Development - 120,000 ADA

• 20,000 ADA: Specifications building: Research and design (internal staff).
• 80,000 ADA: Development and testing.
• 15,000 ADA: Infrastructure, cloud and self hosted.
• 5000 ADA: Software licenses and tools: Development tools (slack, google, figma, GitHub Pro).

Pilot Integration - 20,000 ADA

• 10,000 ADA: Incentivized integration: Remuneration to media outlets.
• 7,000 ADA: Developer integration hours: Support hours (internal staff).
• 3,000 ADA: Infrastructure and software requirements

Project Management and Compliance - 40,000 ADA

• 20,000 ADA:Coordination and project manager ( Catalyst, events, document handling, agreements)
• 15,000 ADA: Legal fees: Compliance / audit (GDPR / Security)
• 5,000 ADA: Contingency

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

• This pilot is building on an existing project already haven given 1billion+ impressions and subsidized by the Dutch government, adding Cardano-powered features to proven functionality expands its reach.
• It boosts blockchain adoption by onboarding key players in Dutch-EU journalism, changing views to see Cardano as a reliable tool for trust and transparency in media.
• ROI comes from strong brand exposure to the Netherlands' tech-savvy people—with 88% social media use and big sites creating billions of EU content views.
• Real-world use of Cardano for content ownership and monetization drives more on-chain transactions, growing the user base and daily network activity.
• Hands-on workshops bring in top Dutch-EU journalists, building lasting ties between Cardano and media for wider ecosystem growth.
• Open-source tools and the pilot make Cardano a possible core trust system for future media, drawing in developers and increasing long-term transactions.
• It opens doors to extra EU funding from programs like Digital Europe (with €1.3 billion for tech like blockchain), strengthening Cardano's place in Europe's data world.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes