San Francisco, Mar 20 (IANS): Apple has announced a new initiative in support of non-profit organisations in the US and Europe that offer un-biased, independent media literacy programmes.

To advance their efforts in empowering young minds, Apple will support the US-based News Literacy Project (NLP) and Common Sense organisations, along with the Italy-based Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori, the company said in a blog-post on Wednesday.

"News literacy is vital to sustaining a free press and thriving democracy, and we are proud to be collaborating with organisations on the front lines of this effort," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Cook acknowledged the work being done by these organisations in empowering young people to be active and engaged citizens.

"Apple News is committed to presenting quality journalism from trusted sources," said Lauren Kern, Editor-In-Chief of Apple News.

"We're thrilled that Apple is supporting these important organizations to train the next generation on how to seek out accurate and reliable information amid an increasingly complicated news landscape."