This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 18, 2013 - Dear Beaconites -
Last week, leaders of the Investigative News Network returned to Pocantico, N.Y., to take stock and look forward. Nearly four years ago, the organization was founded there to help build the new wave of nonprofit news organizations engaged in investigative and public service journalism.
Now more than 70 members strong, INN includes a variety of organizational sizes and strategies -- from large, national operations such as the Center for Investigative Reporting and Pro Publica to one-person investigative reporting centers housed on college campuses. The Beacon is among a handful of regional news organizations, which, even among ourselves, vary in approach to serving our metropolitan areas and states.
Though disparate, INN's members face common challenges in the opportunities and hazards of the digital age. The founders of these organizations are a scrappy bunch, most of us refugees from print and broadcast newsrooms who are determined to put public service before profits. Our organizations have earned considerable respect for keeping people informed and malefactors on edge. Our staying power has so far has defied the odds for startups in a transformational world.
But several of INN's member organizations are financially fragile, and the potential of the nonprofit news movement as a whole has been only partly realized. To make further headway, we must pursue financial sustainability, explore new forms and build visibility as ardently as we have pursued the reporting itself.
Pocantico II focused on these challenges. In addition to some of INN's members, the meeting sought perspective from foundations that have supported INN, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, and from for-profit companies such as Google and Thomson Reuters.
How curiously appropriate that the Pocantico conference center was at the historic Rockefeller family estate. The Rockefellers amassed a fortune and went on to embrace a philanthropic mission. INN members began with a public service mission and are moving to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and business discipline.
At the Beacon, developing a robust business model has been part of our goal from the start. We've nurtured a business office as well as a newsroom. But no one in media -- either nonprofit or for-profit -- has yet perfected a turnkey, guaranteed long-term sustainability plan.
Many of the small INN organizations have survived on personal commitment and occasional funding from national journalism foundations. But those foundations lack the resources to support this work indefinitely. A killing frost is possible, warned one Pocantico participant, and organizations that have not sunk roots for multiple revenue streams may not survive.
At the same time, the shifting media climate is opening new opportunities. Partnerships, once considered anathema to competitive newshounds, are now opening up in many forms. At Pocantico, there was much interest in the alliance discussions underway between the Beacon and St. Louis Public Radio, and in the Beacon's longstanding partnership with the Nine Network of Public Media. These collaborations are in the forefront nationally of what many see as a promising trend.
With common missions of community service, public broadcasters and independent nonprofit news organizations have the potential to work together to meet common needs for reporting heft, business expertise, audience reach and continual innovation.
Reflecting on the Pocantico discussions, I'm struck again by how fortunate the Beacon has been. Here in St. Louis, we've found a healthy appetite for high quality reporting, strong local support, forward-looking thinkers and willing partners. We're grateful for them all, and pleased that our experience can help lead the way forward.
Sincerely,
Margie