The San Francisco Bay Area’s new growth industry: the non-profit news organization. In the new model, nonprofit news organizations sell their stories to multiple partners — newspapers, radio and television stations, blogs, and hyper local news sites — rather than to just one news organization. In a significant shift, traditional media outlets that once would have been phobic about printing and article that was not produced by their own staff writers are now running pieces executed by these third-party vendors.
Instead of relying on advertising for revenue, the old-fashioned way, these groups raise funds from foundations, businesses and individuals. In addition, they sell the journalism they produce.
The Bay Citizen, which is underwritten by a $5 million grant from Warren Hellman, a local businessman and philanthropist — and which is currently gearing up for it debut — will provide coverage of the area primarily available on its own website and also in the local pages of The New York Times. San Francisco Public Press, which started a year ago and soon plans to put out a newspaper. Spot.Us, a site that raises funds for journalists to do specific stories.
Read more at the New York Times.
