Nonprofit news organizations have much in common even if their scope or mission differs. Their journalistic missions are shaped largely by the gaps they are trying to fill — investigative at the state, national and global level; more general news at the local level.
Investigative journalists take enormous risks in their reporting, and for nonprofit news organizations, those risks can extend to their very funding. Kevin Davis argues that the best defense against funding recriminations for honest reporting is three-fold. Investigative news orgs must be transparent, adopt strict policies for independence and conflict of interest and they must tell their own stories before someone else does to undermine them.
There continues to be good news coming out of one of the fastest-growing sectors in the American media landscape: nonprofit news organizations, says Kevin Davis of the Investigative News Network. Davis predicts 2015 will be the year of nonprofit news and that nonprofit organizations that ramp up, break through and get their content noticed will continue to lead the way.
The new streamlined application process for becoming a 501(c)(3) might help nonprofit news startups — at least small ones — get off the ground more quickly.
CHICAGO (AP) — The MacArthur Foundation has chosen seven nonprofits for grants of as much as $1 million to recognize their success and future potential in work ranging from promoting […]
Recent high-profile acquisitions of big name and community newspapers have been the talk of the news industry in recent months. Unlike the far-more publicized investments of the likes of Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and John Henry, investments in nonprofit news outlets have been far more modest. But Investigative News Network’s Kevin Davis says the nonprofit news sector could benefit from more investment from people of means.
Exclusives
Embracing Imperfect In Impact Measurement
Kevin Davis, CEO and executive director of the Investigative News Network, says that before a system of standard metrics to measure journalism’s impact can be developed, there first needs to be a clear understanding of who will be using the metrics and for what purposes. “Regardless of what metrics are developed and agreed upon, adopting repeatable methodologies and standards that can be measured objectively over time will be essential in gauging not only the impact of the organization today, but also its growth,” he says.
Nonprofit News Dodges Business At Its Peril
The Pew Research Center’s recent report on the health of nonprofit newsrooms says that many of those organizations are finding it “hard to make time for business activities.” But those that don’t will soon disappear. Investigative News Network’s Kevin Davis: “Any nonprofit news organization that doesn’t have dedicated resources in business and revenue generation will simply not survive the next few years, let alone achieve the holy grail of nonprofit businesses: sustainability.”
Innovation Is Key To Funding Nonprofit News
Nonprofit news sites make up a growing niche in the Web news ecosystem. These sites, big and small, are gaining national attention with their investigative journalism and all are learning one elemental rule: Even in the world of nonprofit news, you need to think entrepreneurially to survive.
