FactorDaily’s Heartfelt Year in Journalism
Dear Friends,
Your engagement and support have been the lifeblood of our journey, guiding the stories we bring to life and share. Thank you!
As I write this, the vast universe unfolds through the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Voyagers whisper from the edge of interstellar silence.
We live in an age where our gaze stretches into the infinite, and technology’s reach (yes, AI’s, too) seems boundless. Yet, in this vastness, FactorDaily anchors itself towards the small, the intimate, the human.
Before we dive into FactorDaily’s year gone by, please find time to read the attached “The Stone Whisperer of Turtuk.” It’s a story close to our heart and ethos, and I’m sure it will resonate with you, too.
A Breathing Library of Human Stories
The past 12–18 months at FactorDaily have been a journey of such human stories. We’ve delved into the heart of what it means to be human, starting with the legacy of Shamnad Basheer. Sharing his story with a room full of eager listeners was a moment of journalistic purity.
The narrative continued with Sunny Ghosh’s journey, shared in an intimate setting where the essence of entrepreneurship was laid bare. It was a space where the unspoken fears and silent battles of entrepreneurship were acknowledged, a session that played a tiny role in the creation of ‘Jagah.’ Avinash Raghava, along with other entrepreneurs, is shaping the future of Jagah as a standalone community project.
Earlier this year, in September 2023, we organized a story-sharing session with Sharat Potharaju and Sowmya, an entrepreneur herself. The key takeaway from the session: In entrepreneurship, struggle is not the enemy; it’s the soil in which resilience takes root and anti-fragility blossoms.
These sessions have become our ‘breathing library,’ where stories are told, lived, and shared.
FactorDaily’s story-sharing sessions are enriched by handcrafted, printed mini-books. These creations by my colleague Somesh are companions to our stories.
Evolving Together
I’ve been fortunate to have co-travelers — Somesh, Sehar, and Shadma, each bringing their unique gifts and shared purpose. Somesh and Sehar are now the co-founders of FactorDaily, deepening our bond as a team. Our redesigned website, a brainchild of Somesh (developed and coded by Aghosh), mirrors FactorDaily’s thoughtful, human-centric journalism.
I’m also thrilled to announce that Sehar, our longtime colleague, will now be the CEO of FactorDaily Media Lab Foundation.
The FactorDaily Fellowships have expanded into new areas, exploring the intersections of design, mental health, and more. My co-founder, Shadma, is exploring ways to engage with students and other communities to share FactorDaily’s journalism.
Beyond Scale: Even One Is An Audience
The allure of scale, once our guiding light, now shows its inherent constraints.
It resonates deeply with the wisdom in Nida Fazli’s words: “घर से मस्जिद है बहुत दूर, चलो यूँ कर लें… किसी रोते हुए बच्चे को हँसाया जाए।” (The mosque is too far from home, let’s instead… bring a smile to a crying child.)
As we look ahead, we remain committed to our philosophy of “even one is an audience,” focusing on narratives that resonate personally.
Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” At FactorDaily, we strive to alleviate this agony by giving voice to these untold stories.
Quiet Strength
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward
Our collaboration with the EkStep Foundation and its co-founder Shankar Maruwada has been invaluable in our journey. Through the FactorDaily Media Lab, we aim to share our craft with other nonprofits, fostering a community of shared learning.
The support from Virendra Gupta (VerSe Innovation) and the Ajit Isaac Foundation extends beyond financial grants. Virendra’s resonance with our human-centric journalism in the age of AI and Ajit’s curious nudges that deepen our journalistic purpose is exemplary.
In the background of our journey, the support from our families, close friends, and believers in our mission has been a quiet but powerful force. Their role, often unnoticed by the world but deeply felt by us, is the heart of FactorDaily. To them, we owe deep gratitude.
Meanwhile, we’re establishing a corpus fund to sustain FactorDaily’s mission over the next decade, focusing on human-centric journalism.
We invite you to engage with our narratives, share them, and let them become part of your human experience.
Please write to me at pankaj@factordaily.com
Lessons from our journey so far
- Even One is an Audience: Every individual story matters, and impacting even a single listener is fulfilling.
- Human-Centric Journalism: Focus on stories that resonate personally, emphasizing empathy, community, and human connection.
- Sustainability Beyond Ads: Exploring alternative funding models that align with journalistic integrity and mission beyond traditional revenue streams.
- Small is Beautiful: Embrace the power of small-scale, human-scale, and intimate storytelling; prioritize depth and impact over mass appeal.
- Do Things That Don’t Scale: Value journalism’s unique, unscalable aspects that foster deeper engagement and authenticity.
- Fund the Mission, Not Organization Building: Focus resources on nurturing the journalistic mission rather than expanding the organizational structure.
