The idea of crowd sourcing to produce journalism

In 2006, when Robert Greenwald was in need of funding for his film “Iraq for Sale,” his co-founder of Brave New Film’s, Jim Gilliam thought why not asks the audience. William Booth describes this fundraising process in his article, “His Fans Greenlight the Project: Robert GreenwaldTapped a New Funding Source: The Audience.” They were unsure as to how successful this method would be however, once Gilliam sent a mass email to about 4,000 people they have raised the needed funds within 10 days.

This was one of the first examples of filmmakers or journalists of any kind reaching out to their audience and asking for funds. Now, eight years later it is common among independent news outlets to receive donations from their audience.

Booth quotes Gilliam saying, that this method of funding is the future for independent products. Gilliam continues to say that with these donations from supporters, the film or journalistic product produced will be “out of the control of corporations” and therefore it can truly be a form of independent media.  However, in order for this to be a success there must be a large enough audience willing to support the journalist. In the instance of Greenwald's film it helped that he had produced groundbreaking films prior to “Iraq for Sale.” Building a well-established audience can be crucial to receiving the necessary funds for production. Since Gilliam’s call to action, many other independent media outlets have been taking advantage of crowd sourcing.

The Internet has been critical for the success of some independent media outlets. With the Internet these outlets have been able to share their work more easily and gain audience members. Nonprofit media outlets have been able to grow based off of outside donations. The audience members choosing to donate to a certain independent outlet clearly feel strongly about what content is being produced. Some of these donation-based publications cannot survive without numerous donations from audience members. However, these publications differ from Gilliam’s method of crowd sourcing because their donors are supporting the outlet as a whole not a specific project. Gilliam was upfront with donors about what Iraq for Sale was and what Greenwald needed funding for.

While this type of crowd sourcing may have been rare in the past an initiative called “Beacon” is giving journalists an opportunity to receive audience funding. Beacon is an online platform where journalists can share the details of what their project is and ask for funds to produce it. Beacon has given journalists the chance to report on something they are passionate about. The only thing needed from the journalist is to spark the public’s interest in a subject and then produce the desired story.

Nonprofit Journalism: Far from perfect

Nonprofit journalism has become a growing industry. The idea behind it is that journalists will be able to publish content they feel is important and act independently of consumer (or employer) interest. On the surface this may seem to be the solution to producing journalism without outside influence however, as Jack Shafer discusses in his article, “Nonprofit Journalism Comesat a Cost,” the mainstream press and nonprofit news outlets may be more alike than one would think.

The mainstream press has been criticized for producing content to appeal to owners or investors and the nonprofit news outlets may have these similar problems. As Shafer points out, nonprofit journalists may feel pressured to appeal to the interest of their donors. For example, the news outlet ProPublica is largely funded by the Sandler foundation. The mission of the Sandler foundation seems to line up with the goals of ProPublica. Both seek to benefit the public. Although ProPublica may be organized in a way that reflects the donors interest, the work they are doing appears to be helpful. However, if the ProPublica staff was interested in doing a story that the Sandler foundation does not want to be published, it would be difficult to argue with the people who are donating $10 million dollars annually to the publication. 

Another aspect of Shafer’s article was the reason behind why readers choose to donate to nonprofit news outlets. Shafer believes that those donating to nonprofit news outlets because they will receive “psychic income.” He believes donors want to feel they had some influence on political change or that they helped have some sort of impact on society. I’m not sure if it was his intent, but Shafer seems to shape this donation outlook in a negative way. Personally, I feel that whether the donors are seeking “psychic income” or not, the bottom line is they are donating because they feel passionate about the subject matter of the outlet. These donors believe that it is important for the public to receive the content produced by these nonprofit news outlets. While these small donors may have some influence on what is published, I don’t think they can really say what can or cannot be published. The larger issue definitely stems from pressure from major donors.

The most important part of Shafer’s article may have been when he calls attention to the salary of Paul Steiger, the first editor-in-chief of ProPublica. He was getting paid more at the nonprofit news outlet than he was as an editor at the Wall Street Journal. Steiger is quoted in an article from the New York Times, stating that no one who joins his staff will have to take a pay cut. This brings attention to the true motivation of why journalists may be working there. Are they truly dedicated to goals of ProPublica or were they more interested in the monetary benefits?

Partnership between independent media outlets helps increase their presence

Independent media outlets have always had a goal of getting important stories and issues out into the public, specifically when these were not being published, or portrayed fairly, by the mainstream press.  After reading, Vincent Stehle’s article, “How a Misguided War Led to a Powerful Nonprofit Partnership,” I realized how the nonprofit press was strengthened by the war in Iraq.

Independent outlets noticed how many mainstream journalists were pushing the agenda of the Bush administration, focusing on why we should attack Iraq and interviewing those who supported the war. Also, they were not displaying much anti-war coverage. Independent media outlets wanted to end this incomplete coverage and offer insight to the American’s who were influenced by the mainstream press.

In 2005, over two-dozen leaders of the nonprofit press and developed a partnership called, the Media Consortium. The goal of the Media Consortium is to strengthen the voice of independent media outlets, for their current audience and also to increase their audience size.  Members of the partnership include, The Nation, Mother Jones, Democracy Now and the American Prospect.

Since its development independent media outlets have increased their impact on what is reported, and the media industry as a whole. As Stehle shows in his article, independent media led the coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Their press coverage of the movement began right from the start and because of this they were able to full understand what the issues behind the movement.

There have been times when the mainstream press covers certain issues because of what the independent media outlets has published. The example given by Stehle is the article “My So-Called Ex-Gay Life,” in which the writer discusses his experience with ex-gay therapy. This article was able to spark not only coverage in mainstream outlets like the New York Times, but also influence legislation banning ex-gay therapy for minors in California.

   

Another example of an independent media outlet influencing the mainstream press is Brave New Films, another member of the Media Consortium, with their video “McCain’sMansions.” Brave New Films displayed McCain’s many homes and the expense that went along with them. This film then prompted other journalists to question McCain about his excessive amount of homes. In one interview he was asked how many homes he owned and he was unable to give a definitive answer, the media then went into frenzy about this. Clearly, this coverage impacted the outcome of the 2012 election, and without Brave New Films, attention probably wouldn’t have been brought to this subject.

There is no question that many independent media outlets are producing important stories and using great journalism to do so. However, the main problem I see is that most people do not give the same attention to these outlets as they do the mainstream, or they are not even aware of certain independent news outlet's existence. With the development of the Media Consortium, independent media outlets have recognized the importance of raising their voice and reaching as many people as possible.      

The Idea of "Free Love" in Victorian America

When people hear the term “free love” they probably think back to the 1960s, at least that's what I first thought of. However, the concept of free love was discussed long before the era of hippies. According to Rodger Streitmatter's Voices of Revolution, the The idea of free love, meaning that people should be able to marry and divorce as they see fit, was desired in the Victorian age in American. During this time. sexual reform press outlets were created to expose the problems of marriage.  Victoria Woodhull, Ezra and Angela Heywood, and Moses Harman were leaders of sexual reform media outlets.

Those involved found marriage revolved around the idea that a husband was supposed to support and protect his wife. However, the reality of many marriages was that husbands were more abusive of their wives than protective. One of the most important points of the sexual reform press was that abuse within a marriage needed to end. It was common within marriages that women were either forced into sex with their husband or would fall into "coerced consent," meaning they felt it was there responsibility as a wife and therefore consented. The idea of sexual assault within a marriage is something that to this day is rarely talked about. Sexual assault in general is a sensitive subject that can be overlooked in today’s media. The fact that these sexual reform outlets were trying to show the public this problem and gain more legal protection for women, who were victims of this, was extremely progressive at the time. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell how successful these media outlets were.

Although, they may not have gained the widespread acceptance they were hoping for, the topic was still exposed to the public. These outlets allowed for discussions about the idea of free love and the state of divorce laws. This must of have been the start of how common divorce has become in today's society. Also, while the issue of sexual assault is no where near solved, over time there has been an increase in awareness among the general public. 

Other messages from the sexual reform press may have been too radical to be understood and accepted at the time. The goal of abolishing the institution of marriage and promoting promiscuity were probably too extreme be accepted. In my opinion the sexual reform press should have focused on eliminating the abuse of power occurring within marriages instead of trying to get rid of marriage all together. Perhaps, more women would be willing to support the ideas of the sexual reform press if they saw their mission as a way to improve their lives not as something that would change their lives completely.

Despite some extreme opinions, overall the sexual reform press did try to bring necessary change to America. For example, achieving equality within marriages and putting an end to abuse in marriages. Although, these media outlets may not of have been as influential as intended, leaders of the sexual reform movement were willing to continue to fight toward the acceptance of free love. Woodhull, Harman and Ezra Heywood were all willing to face jail time for what they published. It is clear that those involved in the sexual reform press did whatever they could to spread knowledge of "free love" and to show options beyond traditional marriages and lifestyles.