Brief 8: Non-Profit Investigative Journalism is in Trouble

     Non-Profit investigative journalism sites are at risk. " Journalism ethicist Edward Wasserman notably commented several years ago that asking for money every now and then to keep afloat isn't a 'real business model'". With the current financial state of the non-profit investigative journalism site, there was a panel put together to discuss how to keep these non-profit sites running and why it is important that they find a way to do so. 

     "Is philanthropy the answer to paying for non-profit investigative journalism"? This is a question that the panel was asking. "ProPublica's general manager, Richard Tofel, recently stated that 'philanthropy is how these non-profits are sustained'". ProPublica is also the first non-profit to win a Pulitzer Prize, giving their general manager much more credibility. The big discussion about non-profit journalism's ability to sustain themselves was "brought up at a workshop at the Reva and David Logan Investigative Reporting Symposium". There was a panel that included representatives from the Center for Investigative Reporting, Frontline, and the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, along with others. The panel discussed how to fund non-profit investigative journalism. "The oldest non-profit investigative news organization", the Center for Investigative Reporting, explained how the center is "charging for... content to help cover their expenses". Another non-profit that spoke within the panel was ProPublica. They described how they use a "combination of fundraising, sponsorship's, and other ways" to stay in business. Some organizations even give money to these non-profit groups, such as the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation is noted for giving "significant grants to journalism ventures" that have "big influence and impact". Non-profit investigative journalism is struggling, but they are finding ways to make it work. 

     Investigative journalism can be powerful, but for non-profits, keeping afloat is proving to be a struggle. Whether you have companies like the Ford Foundation to donate money or have multiple fundraisers and sponsorship's, money is tight in the non-profit community and something more needs to be done. While they are in the clear for now, it is possible that non-profit investigative journalism could be a thing of the past, and that would truly be a tragedy. 

Articles Cited: 
(http://www.imediaethics.org/panel-discusses-how-to-keep-nonprofit-investigative-journalism-sites-in-business/)