Solving journalism’s money problem with community information districts
The advertising model of journalism is dying. Even the biggest media players are locked in a race to the bottom. In order for journalism to thrive again, we need a new model to support journalism in the public interest.
That model already exists in the form of special districts. Special districts provide communities with firefighting services; utilities like water, gas, and electricity; and schools. Join us in exploring how this model can support the development of news and information services that put community first and offer a sustainable source of revenue for journalism at local, regional, and maybe even national levels.
The community information district (CiD) open-source project launched at an unconference session at the Online News Association’s 2016 gathering in Denver, Colorado. The introduction below to CiD is adapted from that unconference session.
We believe community information districts are the key to financing the future of quality local journalism.
Please read about them and then share your thoughts on Twitter, join our email list, or reply right here on Medium. We encourage questions, dialogue, and constructive criticism. Let’s envision a model that will work for you.
A New Engine To Power Journalism: Special Districts
The journalism and advertising model is a lot like the horse drawn carriage. Publishers have to latch themselves to advertisers to pull their organizations along. But the digitization of news has created more carriages and not enough horses.
The model is unsustainable. Among local and national news outlets, advertising is a race to the bottom. How can we build an engine that can support journalism and return it to public service? By using the special district to raise revenue for community news and information services. Much like an actual engine, special districts can be the power behind unique and original designs inspired by the community.
Returning Public Service To Journalism: Community Info Districts
When communities determine there is a public need for a particular service, they come together to form special districts. Special districts are independent, special-purpose units that exist separately from local government.
They include business improvement districts, fire protection, water, sanitation, and other focused services.
News and information are necessary parts of building community and encouraging civic life. It is a public service that can be supported collectively by the communities that value it with the creation of community information districts.
A Working Example: The Daily Targum
Rutgers University’s student paper, The Daily Targum, collects a student media fee of approximately $11 dollars per semester from the 32,000 undergraduate students attending the school’s New Brunswick, N.J. campus.
The school gathers more than $500,000 and transfers it to the Targum Publishing Co., a nonprofit that manages the the revenue and oversees the business operations of the paper.
In the case of the Daily Targum, a referendum is held every three years to affirm the fees automatic withdrawal. Individuals can request a refund on the fee by email, no questions asked.
This is a model that works and we wanted to find a way to apply it to communities across the country. We have. This is actually scalable, too. It’s a framework for revenue generation that can work anywhere in the U.S. a community needs news and information.
Let’s Build This Together
Now we need you to join the Community Info Districts open-source project. All it takes is the contribution of a single question, suggestion, or inquiry that helps drive this idea forward. Hell, we’d even take a like or a share.
We want to build principles and frameworks that can support journalists serving communities all over the country. We’ll collect your suggestions and questions and respond to them in a soon-to-be-published FAQs. For now, let’s start a conversation.
Sign up for our email community here and we’ll reach out to you for your thoughts and feedback. Tweet at us here or start a conversation by responding to this post below — that’s exactly what Medium is for.
