ProPublica is now up and running. This new online news resource was put together by a team of journalists coming from some of the most respectable newspapers in the United States. The website was created in reaction to the increasing lack of quality investigative reporting in the media. It relies on private funding — philantropic organizations for the most part — to operate.
The website includes a “Breaking on the web” section, which gathers some news bulletins published by other news organizations, and divides its own articles between traditional categories, such as business, politics, or health and science.
ProPublica is far from being the only media of its kind. A number of online newspapers have popped up on the web, with different orientations and different ways to gather funding to sustain themselves.
In France, at least four have been created in the last couple of years, in direct reaction to the evolution of traditionnal media. All of their editors and most of their collaborators previously worked in the most important French publications, such as Le Monde or Libération.
Bakchich is an openly leftist website and hosts articles, blogs and videos. It addresses various issues but concentrates on national politics. It is funded by private investors and subscription to its weekly edition.
Rue89 is definitely more objective. Like a traditional media, it deals with the usual sections and includes a good dose of culture reporting, but in the same time it really delves into the possibilities offered by its online format. Small sound pieces and videos are interspersed in the articles, sometimes replacing in a very efficient and interactive way the use of transcribed quotes. It also hosts a number of blogs and gives a large part to the readers’ participation (they can get their own articles published.) The site is funded by advertising and an online boutique.
Mediapart is slightly more elitist and doesn’t give as many opportunities to the public to express themselves. It operates on a different basis, since its relies on subscriptions. So far, over 5000 people have subscribed. The website is updated three times a day. It also has a “club,” which hosts blogs edited by readers and journalists.
Arrêt sur Images is one of the most interesting online experiments. Formerly a TV program broadcasted on one of the public channels, it was suppressed in 2007 in spite of satisfying audience results. Its host, Daniel Schneidermann, decided to continue the show online. Like the TV show, the website analyses the content of the media in order to determine if news coverage was fair and objective.
New and serious media: will it work?
ProPublica is now up and running. This new online news resource was put together by a team of journalists coming from some of the most respectable newspapers in the United States. The website was created in reaction to the increasing lack of quality investigative reporting in the media. It relies on private funding — philantropic organizations for the most part — to operate.
The website includes a “Breaking on the web” section, which gathers some news bulletins published by other news organizations, and divides its own articles between traditional categories, such as business, politics, or health and science.
ProPublica is far from being the only media of its kind. A number of online newspapers have popped up on the web, with different orientations and different ways to gather funding to sustain themselves.
In France, at least four have been created in the last couple of years, in direct reaction to the evolution of traditionnal media. All of their editors and most of their collaborators previously worked in the most important French publications, such as Le Monde or Libération.
Bakchich is an openly leftist website and hosts articles, blogs and videos. It addresses various issues but concentrates on national politics. It is funded by private investors and subscription to its weekly edition.
Rue89 is definitely more objective. Like a traditional media, it deals with the usual sections and includes a good dose of culture reporting, but in the same time it really delves into the possibilities offered by its online format. Small sound pieces and videos are interspersed in the articles, sometimes replacing in a very efficient and interactive way the use of transcribed quotes. It also hosts a number of blogs and gives a large part to the readers’ participation (they can get their own articles published.) The site is funded by advertising and an online boutique.
Mediapart is slightly more elitist and doesn’t give as many opportunities to the public to express themselves. It operates on a different basis, since its relies on subscriptions. So far, over 5000 people have subscribed. The website is updated three times a day. It also has a “club,” which hosts blogs edited by readers and journalists.
Arrêt sur Images is one of the most interesting online experiments. Formerly a TV program broadcasted on one of the public channels, it was suppressed in 2007 in spite of satisfying audience results. Its host, Daniel Schneidermann, decided to continue the show online. Like the TV show, the website analyses the content of the media in order to determine if news coverage was fair and objective.