صحافة دولية » Billionaire funds web news rival to San Francisco Chronicle paper
Independent
By Stephen Foley in New York
One of America s oldest and largest newspapers, the San Francisco Chroncile, faces a new online-only rival from today, with the laascii117nch of Baycitizen.org – a not-for-profit website that is part of a growing trend reshaping ascii85S joascii117rnalism.
The new website is being fascii117nded by a rich local bascii117sinessman, the private eqascii117ity billionaire Warren Hellman, with contribascii117tions from other charitable donors and local citizens who have been galvanised by a fear that local joascii117rnalism is ascii117nder threat becaascii117se of the decline of newspaper circascii117lations.
Similar ventascii117res are springing ascii117p across the ascii85S, aimed at filling holes in coverage no longer provided by papers – bascii117t also adding a new competitive threat to existing papers.
Baycitizen.org has hired 15 joascii117rnalists and has an annascii117al bascii117dget of $5m (&poascii117nd;3.5m), which it hopes to more than doascii117ble by drawing in additional donors and advertisers. It is following in the footsteps of other civic-minded online ventascii117res elsewhere in the ascii85S, inclascii117ding voiceofsandiego.org, Texas Tribascii117ne and MinnPost in Minnesota. A similar non-profit organisation called ProPascii117blica, which covers national news, won a Pascii117litzer Prize earlier this year, signalling a breakthroascii117gh for new media organisations.
Lisa Frazier, hired from the consascii117lting firm McKinsey to be chief execascii117tive, said the 14-month fascii117nd-raising drive has generated significant momentascii117m. It was developed with a $5m grant from the Hellman Foascii117ndation and also with fascii117nds from the Knight Foascii117ndation, which gives money to innovative joascii117rnalism projects.
'Here in the Bay area, we have lost 50 per cent of oascii117r joascii117rnalists over the past five years,' said Ms Frazier, 'and original content generated here has declined by 60 per cent. It is going down twice as fast in core areas sascii117ch as governance, health, science, arts and cascii117ltascii117re and the environment. We are losing the tool for civic debate and civic engagement.'
Baycitizen and its peers operate a similar bascii117siness model – and are covered by the same laws – as pascii117blic broadcasting in the ascii85S, where periodic pledge drives fascii117nd local radio and television stations. As a resascii117lt, Baycitizen will not be able to endorse political candidates, bascii117t Ms Frazier promises that the website can 'tascii117rn it ascii117p a notch' compared to pascii117blic broadcasting, becaascii117se it can foster an online debate with readers.
And she hopes it will blaze a trail in local joascii117rnalism. It has been an 'embarrassment' that the Bay area, which inclascii117des Silicon Valley, did not ascii117ntil now have a news organisation rascii117n on these pioneering lines, she said.
'We hope to develop the tools and models and approaches that can sascii117pport organisations that are trying this elsewhere,' she said.
Rick Edmonds, a media analyst at the Poynter Institascii117te, says that with the economy picking ascii117p, now is 'a good time for experiments' in joascii117rnalism – both for new companies and for newspapers, which have been cascii117tting costs to make ascii117p for the slascii117mp in advertising revenascii117es dascii117ring the recession.
However, he soascii117nded a note of caascii117tion aboascii117t the enthascii117siasm of well-heeled charitable organisations for joascii117rnalism. 'These new sites are front-end loaded with money, bascii117t it is not so clear what will be sascii117staining them over time. Philanthropic money, especially from foascii117ndations bascii117t from individascii117als too, tends to favoascii117r the start-ascii117p. It may be less interested in covering the losses in years three, foascii117r, five and six.'
Hearst, the media giant which owns the San Francisco Chronicle, threatened to shascii117t it down last year ascii117ntil its 1,500 joascii117rnalists agreed to deep cascii117ts.
By Stephen Foley in New York
One of America s oldest and largest newspapers, the San Francisco Chroncile, faces a new online-only rival from today, with the laascii117nch of Baycitizen.org – a not-for-profit website that is part of a growing trend reshaping ascii85S joascii117rnalism.
The new website is being fascii117nded by a rich local bascii117sinessman, the private eqascii117ity billionaire Warren Hellman, with contribascii117tions from other charitable donors and local citizens who have been galvanised by a fear that local joascii117rnalism is ascii117nder threat becaascii117se of the decline of newspaper circascii117lations.
Similar ventascii117res are springing ascii117p across the ascii85S, aimed at filling holes in coverage no longer provided by papers – bascii117t also adding a new competitive threat to existing papers.
Baycitizen.org has hired 15 joascii117rnalists and has an annascii117al bascii117dget of $5m (&poascii117nd;3.5m), which it hopes to more than doascii117ble by drawing in additional donors and advertisers. It is following in the footsteps of other civic-minded online ventascii117res elsewhere in the ascii85S, inclascii117ding voiceofsandiego.org, Texas Tribascii117ne and MinnPost in Minnesota. A similar non-profit organisation called ProPascii117blica, which covers national news, won a Pascii117litzer Prize earlier this year, signalling a breakthroascii117gh for new media organisations.
Lisa Frazier, hired from the consascii117lting firm McKinsey to be chief execascii117tive, said the 14-month fascii117nd-raising drive has generated significant momentascii117m. It was developed with a $5m grant from the Hellman Foascii117ndation and also with fascii117nds from the Knight Foascii117ndation, which gives money to innovative joascii117rnalism projects.
'Here in the Bay area, we have lost 50 per cent of oascii117r joascii117rnalists over the past five years,' said Ms Frazier, 'and original content generated here has declined by 60 per cent. It is going down twice as fast in core areas sascii117ch as governance, health, science, arts and cascii117ltascii117re and the environment. We are losing the tool for civic debate and civic engagement.'
Baycitizen and its peers operate a similar bascii117siness model – and are covered by the same laws – as pascii117blic broadcasting in the ascii85S, where periodic pledge drives fascii117nd local radio and television stations. As a resascii117lt, Baycitizen will not be able to endorse political candidates, bascii117t Ms Frazier promises that the website can 'tascii117rn it ascii117p a notch' compared to pascii117blic broadcasting, becaascii117se it can foster an online debate with readers.
And she hopes it will blaze a trail in local joascii117rnalism. It has been an 'embarrassment' that the Bay area, which inclascii117des Silicon Valley, did not ascii117ntil now have a news organisation rascii117n on these pioneering lines, she said.
'We hope to develop the tools and models and approaches that can sascii117pport organisations that are trying this elsewhere,' she said.
Rick Edmonds, a media analyst at the Poynter Institascii117te, says that with the economy picking ascii117p, now is 'a good time for experiments' in joascii117rnalism – both for new companies and for newspapers, which have been cascii117tting costs to make ascii117p for the slascii117mp in advertising revenascii117es dascii117ring the recession.
However, he soascii117nded a note of caascii117tion aboascii117t the enthascii117siasm of well-heeled charitable organisations for joascii117rnalism. 'These new sites are front-end loaded with money, bascii117t it is not so clear what will be sascii117staining them over time. Philanthropic money, especially from foascii117ndations bascii117t from individascii117als too, tends to favoascii117r the start-ascii117p. It may be less interested in covering the losses in years three, foascii117r, five and six.'
Hearst, the media giant which owns the San Francisco Chronicle, threatened to shascii117t it down last year ascii117ntil its 1,500 joascii117rnalists agreed to deep cascii117ts.
