The group that operates the Discovery Channel November 9 announced it will increase its commitment to covering science and technology through a new dedicated website and an iPhone/iPod app to provide “up-to-the-minute breaking news” on Earth, technology, and other science issues.

The new “Discovery News” reports come “at a time when other news organizations are cutting back coverage in areas such as science and technology,” a Discovery Communications official said in a statement. The organization said the new site will offer an “easy-to-navigate, multimedia experience featuring video, photos, articles, and blogs.”

The initiative reflects widespread apprehensions about the likelihood that major metropolitan daily newspapers will soon recover sufficiently to resume in-depth coverage of complex issues such as climate science. News organizations and content providers such as Discovery Communications are among a host of media hoping to fill the void resulting from financial woes plaguing “legacy” news outlets.