Global Investigative Journalism Network (https://gijn.org/category/sustainability/)
A new report highlights the obstacles to survival for media startups in the Global South, and checks in on the progress of two dozen of them to see how they’ve fared over the past three years. It includes advice from some of these outlets’ editors for those thinking of launching their own startups. A recurring theme: Before you do anything else, secure a couple years’ worth of funding.
In an era of digital media disruption, Africa Confidential has avoided the complicated revenue tools many news media have been forced to experiment with, like soft or metered paywalls, crowdfunding, programmatic ads, blockchain systems or slashed costs and access fees. Instead, the London-based political news group has defied global trends by not only retaining its old school subscription model, but actually increasing its annual cost to a sky-high 902 British pounds. Rowan Philp writes for GIJN on AC’s secret to success.
Media startups from the Arab world have had to battle censorship, lack of funding and unstable political environments. In a roundtable hosted by GIJN in December at the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism forum in Jordan, founders of four startups shared their innovation tactics to survive and thrive, including renting out excess office space, training, events and paid newsletter subscriptions.
Two French investigative journalists are launching Disclose, a nonprofit newsroom which plans to produce investigative reports free of commercial pressures – and generate the impetus for meaningful change. Olivier Holmey writes about the new media group on the block for GIJN.
Paywalls, live events, special print editions, paid newsletters, the list goes on. From new editorial products to exclusive experiences, news organizations of all types and sizes are looking for new revenue streams. Paula Montañà Tor offers six questions that you should consider before launching a membership program.
Dear Friends: GIJN supports investigative journalists by providing cutting-edge resources, world-class training, access to data and documents, and by linking together the world’s best journalists through cross-border networks. Our Help Desk has responded to over 6,000 requests for assistance since 2012, with a record number this year. We’re helping journalists go after corruption and abuses of power in 140 countries. Won’t you help us continue helping journalists around the world?
As collaborative journalism becomes a common practice across the media industry, news outlets may need clear documentation to guide their projects. Drafting a memorandum of understanding between collaborating partners can help get everyone on the same page. Stefanie Murray, from the Center for Cooperative Media, gathered six MOU template examples as a guide.
Fazer o seu grande plano de doações andar – ou mesmo começar um – pode parecer uma responsabilidade e tanto. A cena filantrópica é extremamente competitiva, e a perspectiva de identificar e solicitar dinheiro a possíveis doadores pode parecer incômoda e intimidadora. Enquanto o cenário das iniciativas de jornalismo sem fins lucrativos floresce, com a abertura de novas fontes de receita e modelos de negócios para apoiar a produção de notícias, muitas organizações continuam a contar com grandes doações de fundações, indivíduos de alta renda, governos e organizações multilaterais para os investimentos mais significativos que elas precisam para sair do papel, sobreviver e prosperar. A competição por grandes doações é intensa. O setor de jornalismo cresceu fortemente nos últimos anos, o que significa que você está competindo com um número crescente de organizações.
English
Quando o OpenFile foi lançado, em 2010, a fechada comunidade midiática canadense reagiu com um entusiasmo discretamente cético. Jornais tradicionais, incluindo o The Globe and Mail e o National Post, disseram que o OpenFile iria revolucionar o jornalismo online… ou que, ao menos, “redefiniria” esse jornalismo. Por trás das manchetes estava um conceito elegante: peça aos leitores que te digam o que eles acham que é importante e tome decisões editoriais a partir disso. Dois anos mais tarde, a indústria da mídia assistia com igual fascínio a suspensão das publicações do OpenFile, uma briga amarga com freelancers não pagos e o eventual encerramento do site. “O Canadá não tenta as coisas duas vezes”, disse o ex-editor do OpenFile David Topping.
A wave of misinformation is flooding the region, much of it courtesy of agencies backed by the Russian government. Olga Yurkova, co-founder of StopFake, writes for GIJN about how Ukrainian civil society is taking the fake news epidemic head on — with a little help from their (Western) friends.
The Global Reporting Centre has launched an ambitious project investigating labor abuse, environmental impact and corruption in global commerce. Here’s the Centre’s Peter W Klein on how Hidden Costs will bring together award-winning journalists, scholars and major media organizations — including the New York Times, PBS Frontline, the Toronto Star, Smithsonian Channel, NBC News, DigitalGlobe and Google News Labs — to undertake investigative-reporting projects.
