October 17, 2012
Indie reporters may be the future of journalism
So how hard would it be for a reporter to go independent? As it turns out, not as hard as you might think.
Andrea Seabrook covers Washington, D.C., with her blog, and now she has funding for reporting — thanks to Kickstarter.
As of this writing 1,351 people pledged $77,405 to support her efforts. That’s more than the $75,000 she asked for.
Here’s her pitch:
DecodeDC is a new way to cover Washington. We are tired of the same old red vs. blue stories, the exhausting horserace coverage of elections. We yearn for stories with depth, on issues that really matter. If you do too, then help us make this happen.
For that money, she promises 30 episodes.
It certainly helps that Seabrook has good credentials. She worked for NPR and won awards for her coverage of the U.S. Congress. Still, it’s only a matter of time before more reporters go indie. And I sometimes wonder whether this is the future of journalism.
Just look at the expense of running a news site with good-quality original content vs. the paltry revenue it brings in. In the not-too-distant future, one-person shows may be the only thing that makes sense.
Update: Nieman Journalism Lab has tips on how to succeed with your own Kickstarter project.