The Correspondent is a new model of news organization that has been successful in Holland and is currently working on launching a worldwide English-languageversion. It has many interesting features, such as being ad- and sponsor-free, totally supported by membership fees (with members deciding how much they can afford), no paywalls–anything they produce is free for everyone, not just members.
One feature in particular may be of interest to Integral-minded folks: “Collectively, our readers know way more than we do about most of the stories we cover. That’s why The Correspondent does not simply broadcast information. When we cover something you know a lot about, we invite you to contribute your expertise and share your experience. That’s part of being a member. Correspondents share their story ideas and research questions from the start, inviting feedback from members to make our journalism better. We don’t see you as a mere news consumer, but as a knowledgeable contributor of expertise.”
For obvious reasons, the more Integral folk participating in this process, the better. Their reporters are required to spend a substantial amount of time (about 40% if I recall correctly) in dialog with members.
I’ve decided to become a founding member and signed up to support them. I love the idea of a news organization that is free from the distortions (and mental noise) of advertising. I love the idea of members supporting the creation of content that is not subsequently locked away behind paywalls. I’m hoping they will be highly successful and influence other organizations to adopt a similar model, which seems to me to be more in tune with our current technological infrastructure and what is needed in this historical moment.
They have 7 days to fully raise their funding goal to get started; if they succeed, they have a year to demonstrate the value of what they do. You can find out more at https://thecorrespondent.com/
Seems promising: Correspondents won’t be sought to fulfill predefined roles and they won’t be expected to cover traditional news categories like ‘domestic politics’ or ‘foreign affairs.’ and left/right will not fit, while comfortable with progressive realism
Agreed, those aspects (and many more) sound extremely promising. I’m hoping they make their goal, and looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish.
Do you have any idea of the kinds of stories they’ve reported on in The Netherlands? They emphasize their priority is to report “not on the weather, but on the climate” (paraphrased), so I was curious as to what kind of ‘climatic conditions’ content-wise they’ve covered.
I agree with you that this could be an opportunity to spread integral thinking, could be.
LaWanna, I don’t know much about the types of articles the Dutch edition covers; in a Fast Company article, they mention “Stories in the works ranged from a piece about homosexuals in Uganda to surveillance at Sochi and sexual hooligans (teenagers harassing elderly women) in the Netherlands.”
Also, LaWanna, they have started to tweet some of the suggestions that are coming in from members; see a couple of examples below. I think the kinds of things they cover will be strongly influenced by what members suggest–all the more reason to join up. ![image|690x362] I contributed a modest yearly fee–all I can afford at the moment.
Hi Arthur,
I just heard they got their 2.5 million funding goal. I sent in my support last month as a member, I feel excited to see how their experiment works out. I like their approach and vision. I see it as a more integrally oriented approach that can evolve.
Eric
I’m very pleased they made their goal! The 1-year membership starts in mid-2019, when they aim to get started. Anyone can still join, if you want to be part of this journey.
Hi @Arthur_Gillard,
What a great idea. Kind of like a current affairs Wiki. I love foreign correspondent journalism of all kinds since the better informed we are and connected the kinder the world will be. I hope its a successful model and gets attention. #infinitelove
I share the enthusiasm for such a news service and will be looking into membership. One issue that occurs to me is the degree to which this approach encourages action. I’m currently concerned about the perception in U.S. society that knowing about an issue somehow equals doing something about it. I would very much like to see a news source that not only presents the news about what is going on but also helps readers to find opportunities for action. For example when reporting on the various abominations of the Trump administration, such as withdrawal from the Paris accords, it would have been helpful if that reporting included some suggestions for ways to support efforts to reduce climate change.
rwark, action-oriented reporting is part of their stated core principles: “Consuming a lot of news can make you feel cynical and powerless. The Correspondent aims to counteract this effect by searching for common ground between different people, and by giving as much attention to solutions as we do to problems. We call this ‘constructive journalism’, not to be mistaken for ‘good news’. Constructive journalism tells the stories in a way that might get things moving in a different direction. We believe in journalistic activism, meant to bring about change.” (SOURCE)
![image|690x362] I contributed a modest yearly fee–all I can afford at the moment.
