Hallelujah, Dick. I couldn't agree with you more. Some of the organizations you cite do excellent work, but the focus of national foundations on them largely to the exclusion of the news organizations directly is bewildering and frustrating. i
Right on Dick! This is a problem that isn’t being discussed, and it should be. Another issue is that so many of the grants to support local news organizations actually go to sites focused on narrow subjects and issues rather than local community news.
Agree that too much money goes to intermediaries but not sure if the problem is money going to associations--which do good work that no one else can--or philanthropic money going to businesses that, if they do their jobs well, should be for profit.
Hi Jo Ellen — can you explain what you mean? It sounds like you are suggesting that philanthropic money should only go to businesses that don’t do their job well — but that cannot be what you mean … right?
Nov 4, 2022·edited Nov 4, 2022Liked by Richard J. Tofel
What I meant is that a considerable amount of philanthropic money in the journalism space is going to Blue Engine Collaborative, News Revenue Hub, Indiegraf, Newspack and other fee for service businesses to "support" journalism operations--whether the news outlets want their help or not. I would suggest philanthropy should instead come as grants to news organizations to go out and get technical support, which would create a more vibrant marketplace in which these kinds of businesses would have to compete for news outlets' dollars. What I see is that foundations too often identify a business founder who they enjoy working with and then give that founder all their business.
Let's not forget the money that goes to consultants like us, too, Dick. ;-)
Strong, gutsy call. Thank you, Dick.
Hallelujah, Dick. I couldn't agree with you more. Some of the organizations you cite do excellent work, but the focus of national foundations on them largely to the exclusion of the news organizations directly is bewildering and frustrating. i
Right on Dick! This is a problem that isn’t being discussed, and it should be. Another issue is that so many of the grants to support local news organizations actually go to sites focused on narrow subjects and issues rather than local community news.
Agree that too much money goes to intermediaries but not sure if the problem is money going to associations--which do good work that no one else can--or philanthropic money going to businesses that, if they do their jobs well, should be for profit.
Hi Jo Ellen — can you explain what you mean? It sounds like you are suggesting that philanthropic money should only go to businesses that don’t do their job well — but that cannot be what you mean … right?
What I meant is that a considerable amount of philanthropic money in the journalism space is going to Blue Engine Collaborative, News Revenue Hub, Indiegraf, Newspack and other fee for service businesses to "support" journalism operations--whether the news outlets want their help or not. I would suggest philanthropy should instead come as grants to news organizations to go out and get technical support, which would create a more vibrant marketplace in which these kinds of businesses would have to compete for news outlets' dollars. What I see is that foundations too often identify a business founder who they enjoy working with and then give that founder all their business.
Thanks for the clarification. Hope you’re doing well.