New models of reporting

November 2nd, 2009

Here are two interesting new forms of “collaborative” reporting, based on entirely new internet funding models: www.spot.us and www.demandmedia.com

Spot.us is a non-profit based in California which makes use of “crowdfunding” or “community funding - asking the public to make contributions to enable freelancers to undertake investigative reporting. They pitch a story on their site and tell you how much they need to do it. You hit a button to make what can be a very modest donation and the site tells you how much more they need to raise to go after the story.

If they sell the story, you get refunded.

Essentially, it allow you to commission your own reporter and influence what they cover (not how they cover it). “It’s a marketplace where independent reporters, community members and news organizations can come together and collaborate,” according to their site.

It is the product of the Centre for Media Change in San Francisco. “Our mission is to make sure that journalism survives the death of so many of its institutions,” says founder David Cohn.

Their stories are very local. On today’s front page, they say they need just $75 more to investigative the quality of school food in Oaklands. The story pitch tells you the benefit of the story, the deliverables (1500 words, a few photos, a short audio and a “Take Action” sidebar), and the journalist’s credentials.

Update: now they say they are fully funded!

Also on the page is a pitch for coverage of Bay Area courts, which says they have raised $1 000 in matching foundation funds, and a report on the delays and over-runs in building the new Bay Bridge.

Potential problem: could companies throw in money for their rivals to be investigated, or politicians use it to throw mud at others?

Demandmedia.com is a commercial venture which claims to have raised $350-m to fund its idea. It describes itself as “the leader in distributed social media”.

The look at what search combinations are in demand and then generate articles around that. They get freelancers to produce it, paying them $15 to generate it quickly and $2.50 to run it past a copy editor, and then post it on YouTube. They are the single biggest copy producer for YouTube, where their “How to” videos have generated over a billion (yes, with a b!) viewings.

Their revenue comes from advertising alongside their material.

It is a fascinating model: using high technology to discern what people are looking for and give it to them quickly and cheaply.

Entry Filed under: Anton Harber, Journalism, Online