Investigative Journalism Goes Non-Profit

A wealthy California couple has pledged $10 million a year to support ProPublica.org, a new, not-for-profit, investigative journalism website. An increasing number of philanthropists and foundations are funding journalism, employing the non-profit model in what has traditionally been a for-profit arena. The move, they say, is aimed at rescuing journalism, “a pillar of democracy – from the brutalities of the market,” writes Suzanne Perry in the November 1, 2007 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The development of online journalism has made the startup of new outlets more affordable, and the inadequacies of traditional media outlets makes these new ventures more appealing to funders. In addition to traditional media funders, new media non-profits seek to attract community and family foundations – making the connection between foundations’ policy interests and the work of good journalism in serving the public good.

The full article is available on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s website – for a fee for non-subscribers or free of charge for subscribers. Click here.

To learn more about the launch of ProPublica.org, click here.