Could becoming an entrepreneur save journalism?
When four years ago I began to think about becoming the owner of a media outlet instead of spending my best years as a journalist working for others, I had no idea about the huge things I would have to learn and the risks I would have to take. But it was not only the desire to be personally independent that drove me to take the path of entrepreneurship. Passionate about my profession, I felt the call to do something to preserve Venezuelan journalism from censorship and government pressures.
Until 2015, I had spent 12 years close to decision makers at Cadena Capriles and Diario 2001, the most important media groups in Venezuela. For 10 of those years I was a political editor, head of the investigative unit at Últimas Noticias, and editor of the best-selling Sunday newspaper edition in my country. In 2012 I became the first female editor in chief of a national newspaper, at Diario 2001, owned by Bloque De Armas, the most complex media group in Venezuela, with hundreds of publications and widespread product distribution.
During those years I learned about editorial and business. I was fortunate, because at Cadena Capriles I had extraordinary training. I was not only in charge of a journalists’ team, I also was part of the editorial board, where we discussed every aspect of the editorial side. At Diario 2001 my training continued, but with more responsibilities on the business side.
Leaving Últimas Noticias at one of my best moments as a journalist was a tough decision. By 2012 I led Venezuela’s most awarded team of journalists, supervised the largest Sunday edition, with a circulation of more than 300,000 copies, wrote Politikom, a very well-known political column, and was preparing myself for the new challenges of the organization. Then, someone knocked on my door to offer a change. In this case it was an interesting plan: the 40-year-old newspaper Diario 2001 would be redesigned, and the Executive President was asking me to head the challenge.
During my two years as editor in chief of Diario 2001, I learned much about the business side. I helped to boost sales, increasing engagement and branding, and most important I had to deal face to face with government pressure. One time, the Venezuelan president demanded jail for the person in charge of the front page (it was me), because he didn’t like a report we had published on problems with the provision of fuel. Dealing with this kind of situation was extremely stressful, and it happened frequently.
In spite of these problems — or maybe because of them — I began to think about starting my own media outlet.
In my office was a portrait of the founder of my media group: Armando De Armas, a man who created the most important publishing enterprise in Venezuela. I used to look at his image and ask myself: Why can’t journalists be entrepreneurs? Why if we are smart, tireless workers, passionate about our jobs, aren’t we publishers?
One thing led to another. By 2014 the Venezuelan media landscape had changed dramatically. The company where I worked until 2012 was sold to a mysterious owner almost immediately after I left. One of the country’s most prestigious newspapers, El Universal, met the same destiny. Media closings, lack of paper, soft censorship, self-censorship, dozens of colleagues fired and other pressures were taking hold and made it almost impossible to be a journalist.
It was then I realized that this difficult situation could be an opportunity for journalists. My intuition was that there was space to create new media focused on niches, with tiny and flexible structures, but with a guarantee of in-depth journalism. In this way we could become part of a new ecosystem of digitally-native media.
So in January 2015 I co-founded Efecto Cocuyo, an independent website that delivers hard-hitting investigations and critical reports in an environment hostile to a free press. My other co-founders are Laura Weffer and Josefina Ruggiero, two of the most respected Venezuelan journalists. We also started a joint venture with an incubator company named Ecoem, founded by two young entrepreneurs who supported part of our first operations.
Efecto Cocuyo means Firefly Effect. Our narrative is that our site “is the product of millions of tiny sparks, which together can illuminate an entire nation.”
Since our first day we have innovated. Our launch was on Twitter, and in less than 48 hours we had more than 12,000 followers. Our second action was totally disruptive. We went to a slum in Caracas asking people about their information needs. We also introduced ourselves as journalists who wanted to continue working as journalists. A year after its launch, Efecto Cocuyo has become a reliable medium. It is also the most successful media crowdfunding project in my country.
It has been a long trip for me from then to now. I have postponed my desire to write so I can focus on the business aspect. My objective is to lead EC to be a sustainable medium and in five years I envision we will be profitable and a very influential news site. I hope we will be a model case, replicable for other journalists — and of course I am sure we are going to be really successful.
However, the path has just started. Since January 2016 I have immersed myself in the Entrepreneurial Journalism Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, in New York City. Over the course of these recent months I have had constant encounters with information, experiences, people and activities that have made me realize how challenging it is to be a journalist entrepreneur. Every class, every visit, every contact provokes an outbreak of ideas, fears, dreams and awareness about how complicated and demanding this route is. Despite these feelings and confusion, I am still persuaded that this is one of my best decisions. This is not a romantic appreciation but a passionate one: I always say to myself that the people who love journalism must try to keep it alive.
Credits:
Photos #1 and #2 by El Universal
Photo #3 by Deniz Ergurel
