With grant-funded reporting, be careful what you wish for
A group of us in the nonprofit news biz had an honest chat about something we can’t resist: reporting grants. They aren’t necessarily essential to nonprofit newsrooms (and more than a few for-profit ones, too), but they definitely have their place in the overall revenue mix. Some newsrooms even budget for them a year ahead, sight unseen.
These grants often do wonderful things: opening the door to great reporting, connecting with new audiences, winning awards. But not everything with this money is always wine and Sweet Williams.
Reality intrudes and the story premise shifts on you, or you have to pull your lead project reporter to cover something completely unexpected. The funder might have no idea how journalism works.
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.