Senegal’s first publicly-funded, independent media site — La Maison des Reporters — was launched after a young journalist, Moussa Ngom, grew frustrated with his country’s mainstream news.
Meduza, one of Russia’s last remaining independent news sites, lost 30,000 donors after the government cut off subscriber payments from the country due to unflinching coverage of the war. In less than a week, two German reporters organized a crowdfunding campaign to replace those funds to try to save Meduza.
Launched in 2008 with an innovative but untested business model, Mediapart has become a pillar of France’s media landscape and given a new lease of life to investigative journalism in the country. GIJN’s French editor Marthe Rubio explores how the site made a name for itself and how it managed to achieve economic independence.
In the aftermath of the repressive Taliban regime’s takeover of Afghanistan, some newsrooms fully relocated abroad — but some reporters remained behind, and leak critical stories about the government to their partners in exile.
DOSSIER, an Austrian outlet that is a member center of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, has been able to offset the financial challenges experienced by many media outlets in Austria — and combat a series of vexatious lawsuits — thanks to its membership program.
Press freedom – as exercised by independent news organizations free from the control of governments, political parties and other partisan interests – is fundamental to the development of peaceful, just and democratic societies. These organizations foster dialogue, respect for individual rights and good governance.
Researchers have found evidence that attacks on press freedom — such as jailing journalists, raiding their homes, shutting down printing presses, and using libel laws to thwart reporters — have measurable effects on a nation’s economic growth.
It’s still hard to fathom the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on journalism, even two months into most countries’ lockdowns. On the one hand, sustained and unprecedented demand from audiences for trustworthy information presents an incredible opportunity for independent media; a chance to showcase the value of good journalism and hopefully build lasting relationships with millions of new viewers, listeners and readers.
Can a government foot the bill for journalists to carry out their watchdog function, without undue government control or intervention in the editorial process? Paul Clemens Murschetz lists three criteria to ensure state aid for journalism is successful and effective.
The increasing lack of credibility and growing political meddling in Romanian mainstream media in recent years has resulted in many journalists leaving these outlets and starting their own independent sites. Some of these initiatives support themselves by relying on crowdfunding. But is it viable in the long term?
