It doesn’t matter if your news organization is a for-profit, nonprofit, collaborative, or cooperative: One unavoidable fact is that all news organizations must generate enough revenue to be sustainable. It’s time to stop talking about a new business model — because there is no new business model that will magically make journalism financially sustainable.
In 2022, successful news organizations of all varieties will stop talking about business models. Instead, there will be a focus on building up business infrastructure — to support journalism products that people will pay for and to improve their operational excellence. Three areas of focus:
Build products and not models: It’s no secret that traditional revenue sources in journalism are becoming less dependable. There’s an urgent need for news organizations to diversify those sources. While philanthropy and major gifts from high net-worth donors are up, it’s not a long-term strategy and should be treated as catalytic investment to help grow the organization.
For example, The Markup, a nonprofit that investigates how powerful institutions are using technology to change society, developed Blacklight, a custom tool that scans how websites you visit track your every digital move. It’s services like Blacklight that can create new value for customers that goes beyond journalism. In 2022, more news organizations will focus on developing revenue-generating products and services that are not solely dependent on donor dollars or reader revenue.
Journalism with an equality lens: Let’s face it. Most mainstream journalism is created through a white lens. From reporting on a “hot food trend” called boba tea to an exposé on employment bias against African-American candidates, mainstream news organizations have a tendency to report news from communities of color as exotic or something new. Trust me, Asians already know boba tea is a thing, and Blacks won’t be shocked by the news that employment bias exists.
This past year, Public Integrity has scaled our collaboration with BIPOC news organizations. To avoid the effects of parachute journalism and other harmful practices, Public Integrity is evaluating and assessing assumptions and pitfalls so that we can avoid creating unintentional harm to our partners. We are also turning lessons learned into internal best practices so that we can better serve underrepresented communities. In 2022, more news organizations, mostly nonprofits, will center their reporting from the community’s perspective by not making assumptions about groups of underrepresented people or leaning into problematic narratives.
Invest in operational excellence: Look at some of the most successful news organizations and you’ll see roles like head of partnerships, chief strategy officer, chief of staff, head of culture, head of philanthropy, head of product, and more. These news organizations understand that having great journalists producing great journalism won’t make them sustainable. It literally takes a village to make a news organization sustainable. In 2022, you’ll see a proliferation of new roles designed to support the business of journalism and more investment in technology that advances our reach and our understanding of how the audience interacts with our content.
Paul Cheung is CEO of the Center for Public Integrity.
It doesn’t matter if your news organization is a for-profit, nonprofit, collaborative, or cooperative: One unavoidable fact is that all news organizations must generate enough revenue to be sustainable. It’s time to stop talking about a new business model — because there is no new business model that will magically make journalism financially sustainable.
In 2022, successful news organizations of all varieties will stop talking about business models. Instead, there will be a focus on building up business infrastructure — to support journalism products that people will pay for and to improve their operational excellence. Three areas of focus:
Build products and not models: It’s no secret that traditional revenue sources in journalism are becoming less dependable. There’s an urgent need for news organizations to diversify those sources. While philanthropy and major gifts from high net-worth donors are up, it’s not a long-term strategy and should be treated as catalytic investment to help grow the organization.
For example, The Markup, a nonprofit that investigates how powerful institutions are using technology to change society, developed Blacklight, a custom tool that scans how websites you visit track your every digital move. It’s services like Blacklight that can create new value for customers that goes beyond journalism. In 2022, more news organizations will focus on developing revenue-generating products and services that are not solely dependent on donor dollars or reader revenue.
Journalism with an equality lens: Let’s face it. Most mainstream journalism is created through a white lens. From reporting on a “hot food trend” called boba tea to an exposé on employment bias against African-American candidates, mainstream news organizations have a tendency to report news from communities of color as exotic or something new. Trust me, Asians already know boba tea is a thing, and Blacks won’t be shocked by the news that employment bias exists.
This past year, Public Integrity has scaled our collaboration with BIPOC news organizations. To avoid the effects of parachute journalism and other harmful practices, Public Integrity is evaluating and assessing assumptions and pitfalls so that we can avoid creating unintentional harm to our partners. We are also turning lessons learned into internal best practices so that we can better serve underrepresented communities. In 2022, more news organizations, mostly nonprofits, will center their reporting from the community’s perspective by not making assumptions about groups of underrepresented people or leaning into problematic narratives.
Invest in operational excellence: Look at some of the most successful news organizations and you’ll see roles like head of partnerships, chief strategy officer, chief of staff, head of culture, head of philanthropy, head of product, and more. These news organizations understand that having great journalists producing great journalism won’t make them sustainable. It literally takes a village to make a news organization sustainable. In 2022, you’ll see a proliferation of new roles designed to support the business of journalism and more investment in technology that advances our reach and our understanding of how the audience interacts with our content.
Paul Cheung is CEO of the Center for Public Integrity.
Brian Moritz
Anika Anand
Alice Antheaume
Chicas Poderosas
Zizi Papacharissi
Tamar Charney
Julia Angwin
Mike Rispoli
Joy Mayer
Jody Brannon
Sam Guzik
Kristen Muller
Stephen Fowler
Whitney Phillips
j. Siguru Wahutu
Tom Trewinnard
Gabe Schneider
Simon Galperin
Rachel Glickhouse
Larry Ryckman
Errin Haines
Tony Baranowski
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Candace Amos
David Cohn
John Davidow
Gonzalo del Peon
Burt Herman
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Christoph Mergerson
Joni Deutsch
Simon Allison
Joe Amditis
Jesse Holcomb
Juleyka Lantigua
Catalina Albeanu
An Xiao Mina
Victor Pickard
Eric Nuzum
Meena Thiruvengadam
Natalia Viana
Jennifer Brandel
Melody Kramer
Joanne McNeil
Christina Shih
Nikki Usher
Matt DeRienzo
Mario García
Francesco Zaffarano
Amara Aguilar
Michael W. Wagner
Andrew Freedman
Parker Molloy
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Mandy Jenkins
Don Day
Wilson Liévano
Cherian George
Jennifer Coogan
Raney Aronson-Rath
Megan McCarthy
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Kerri Hoffman
S. Mitra Kalita
Anita Varma
Richard Tofel
Ståle Grut
Shalabh Upadhyay
Daniel Eilemberg
Doris Truong
Sarah Stonbely
Robert Hernandez
James Green
Jim Friedlich
Chase Davis
Joshua P. Darr
David Skok
Izabella Kaminska
Cindy Royal
Sarah Marshall
Matthew Pressman
Ariel Zirulnick
Cristina Tardáguila
Anthony Nadler
Millie Tran
Gordon Crovitz
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Paul Cheung
Kristen Jeffers
Mary Walter-Brown
Matt Karolian
Stefanie Murray
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Julia Munslow
Moreno Cruz Osório
A.J. Bauer
Janelle Salanga
Jessica Clark
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Jonas Kaiser