Collaboration beyond content: strengthening independent public-interest journalism

Independent public-interest journalism faces unprecedented challenges to its sustainability. That is why we need to learn from each other and build on existing experiences and work across regions. This session brings together Institute for Nonprofit News’s experience of building a new kind of news network - nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service - in the US, with the Reference Circle, a self-organized pan-European network of independent journalistic organizations that publish and operate in the public interest. Moreover, by using the Journalism Value Project and Project Oasis - Europe as examples, we will examine how digital native media have blossomed throughout Europe, filling news deserts, attracting disillusioned audiences and pioneering new ways of sharing vital information. The discussion will also touch on how peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and cooperative problem-solving foster collaboration across the sector contribute to monetizing value in ways that support long-term sustainability without compromising journalistic independence.
Discussion points:
> Understanding the landscape: key findings from the Project Oasis Europe report and Journalism Value Project report on type of organizations, key areas of coverage, funding structures, audience research, and external influences in European independent media.
> Collaboration in action: drawing on over 15 years of experience, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) has transformed nonprofit journalism, growing its membership from 27 to 450 news outlets. INN champions nonprofit newsrooms as vital to fostering informed communities and sustaining healthy democracies, filling critical gaps in news coverage while driving awareness of their impact. Reference Circle aims to do the same in Europe albeit in a completely self-organized bottom-up way among peers.
> Reassessing value: how rethinking public-interest journalism’s societal value can influence funding policies and political-economic consensus - highlights and key learning from the Journalism Value Project (survey, podcasts, study visits, webinars, and white-paper) and contrasting that with INN's experience in the US.
Moderated by Brigitte Alfter.