The business of journalism is changing fast.
With the collapse of traditional advertising revenue models, the argument that thoroughly researched investigative journalism is a public good that needs to be properly funded cannot be made too strongly or too often.
At the CIJ we’re interested in supporting innovative alternative methods for keeping investigative journalism financially sustainable. Whether through diversifying revenue streams, philanthropic grants, or working directly with NGOs and interest groups we want to incubate alternative business models to ensure good journalism pays.
One area in which we see potential is in those outlets pioneering different ways of engaging with people to build not just readerships, but communities for their work. There are many methods of doing this but some of the best involve giving their audience ways to meaningfully engage in both the production of the journalism and the management of the organisation. In return, audiences are becoming supporters or members who give regular donations to sustain the investigative work.
We’re always interested in supporting other community journalism projects. We can provide advice, guidance and even help you pitch for funding to cover training for your outlet. If you are working with or setting up an investigative community journalism outlet, contact us at tom [at] tcij.org to discuss how we might be able to help.
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