#reader-funded-media
#reader-funded-media

Writing

Is Substack being taken over by marketing?

Substack has shifted from a niche, text-focused haven into a broader platform attracting musicians and diverse creators, altering audience discovery and creator independence.

fromwww.theguardian.com

Right-wing politics

Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters

Substack monetizes newsletters that promote Nazi ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism, taking about 10% of revenue from such paid subscriptions.

fromTech Times

14 hours ago

Substack Writers Transform Newsletter Platforms with Paid Subs and the Power of the Creator Economy

Substack empowers independent writers to manage their own audiences and monetize content through a simple, community-driven newsletter platform.

fromMiami Herald

How Substack Became the Hottest Social Media Platform

Substack has become a culturally relevant platform for intellectual influencers, attracting millions of subscribers and shaping modern discourse.

fromFar Out Magazine

Writing

Is Substack being taken over by marketing?

fromwww.theguardian.com

Right-wing politics

Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters

more#substack

#fact-checking

Online Community Development

Fact-checkers reached more people in 2025. That didn't help their finances - Poynter

Fact-checking organizations face financial challenges and staff cuts, yet audience growth continues amidst uncertainty in funding and coverage.

Fact-checking has to go where misinformation actually spreads - Poynter

Fact-checking must evolve from traditional metrics to address the fragmented and informal nature of today's information ecosystem.

State of the Fact-Checkers: Audiences grow as finances worsen - Poynter

Fact-checking organizations expanded their audiences in 2025 despite financial vulnerabilities, with significant shifts in funding sources and staffing.

Online Community Development

Fact-checkers reached more people in 2025. That didn't help their finances - Poynter

Fact-checking organizations face financial challenges and staff cuts, yet audience growth continues amidst uncertainty in funding and coverage.

Fact-checking has to go where misinformation actually spreads - Poynter

Fact-checking must evolve from traditional metrics to address the fragmented and informal nature of today's information ecosystem.

fromThe American Prospect

State of the Fact-Checkers: Audiences grow as finances worsen - Poynter

Fact-checking organizations expanded their audiences in 2025 despite financial vulnerabilities, with significant shifts in funding sources and staffing.

Fact-checking is crucial when the news moves this fast - Poynter

The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iranian targets, prompting extensive fact-checking on claims regarding military capabilities and misinformation.

Artificial intelligence

fromTheregister

4 hours ago

Anthropic closes door on subscription use of OpenClaw

Anthropic restricts Claude subscriptions for third-party tools like OpenClaw to manage service demand and optimize performance.

fromThe New Yorker

13 hours ago

Do the Circulation-Desk Shuffle

During the run-through, he said softly into the mike, 'There's no way to rehearse this in the studio.' It was after hours, but the dances are designed to be performed when the library is packed.

NYC LGBT

Marketing tech

14 hours ago

Why We're Removing Our Programmatic Ads - The American Prospect

Programmatic advertising will be removed from The American Prospect's website to respect reader privacy and improve user experience.

Photography

fromThe Phoblographer

Our Staff is All Human. Can Other Publications Say the Same?

Phoblographer aims to reduce reliance on big photo retailers and banner ads by promoting a subscription model for sustainability.

Flipboard's new 'social websites' help publishers and creators tap into the open social web | TechCrunch

Flipboard launched social websites, enabling creators to consolidate content and build communities around their work on decentralized platforms.

Podcast

Exclusive: Beehiiv expands into podcasting, taking aim at Patreon | TechCrunch

Beehiiv introduces native podcast hosting, allowing creators to host, distribute, and monetize podcasts directly on the platform.

DevOps

fromThe Verge

fromThe Bootstrapped Founder

Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra

Claude subscriptions will no longer cover third-party tools starting tomorrow at 12pm PT.

Bootstrapping

3 days ago

Building in Public: Risks and Strategies for Founders

Radical transparency in business can lead to success, but current dynamics may pose risks that could jeopardize a company's future.

Fundraising

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Using AI for Fundraising Still Requires Human Strategy | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

AI should support strategy in nonprofit fundraising, not replace the essential human elements of trust and relationship building.

Boston real estate

The Provincetown Independent's reporters couldn't find housing. So the Local Journalism Project bought a condo for them to rent.

High housing costs on Cape Cod's Outer Cape hinder recruitment of early-career reporters for local journalism.

fromChalkbeat

fromElectronic Frontier Foundation

P.S. Weekly Season 3 Trailer is here: NYC students speak out on education

Students are actively shaping their education by addressing critical issues such as integration in elite public high schools and the need for a diverse teaching workforce.

Education

#meta

Privacy professionals

Weakening Speech Protections Will Punish All of Us-Not Just Meta

fromwww.independent.co.uk

Meta's bid to woo creators to Facebook just might work, despite its recent legal woes

Meta's Facebook Creator Fast Track program offers guaranteed payouts to attract creators, despite recent legal challenges regarding user safety.

fromElectronic Frontier Foundation

Social media marketing

Instagram testing subscription that allows users to watch stories anonymously

Privacy professionals

Weakening Speech Protections Will Punish All of Us-Not Just Meta

Meta and YouTube face legal challenges, but lowering First Amendment protections could harm user speech rights.

Meta's bid to woo creators to Facebook just might work, despite its recent legal woes

Meta's Facebook Creator Fast Track program offers guaranteed payouts to attract creators, despite recent legal challenges regarding user safety.

fromwww.independent.co.uk

Instagram testing subscription that allows users to watch stories anonymously

Meta is launching Instagram Plus, a premium subscription service allowing anonymous Story views and rewatch counts, currently available in select countries.

California Media Seek Access to Secret Warrants in Sheriff's Ballot Seizure Case | KQED

Sheriff Bianco obtained warrants to investigate ballot discrepancies in Riverside County, but the investigation is currently on hold due to legal challenges.

Marketing

fromForbes

To Get Powerful Publicity, Build A Narrative Strategy

Building a clear, consistent narrative strategy is essential for organizations to connect with stakeholders and achieve sustainable success.

Video games

fromEngadget

Intellectual property law

Indie Pass is a forthcoming subscription service exclusively for indie games

Indie Pass is a new subscription service for indie games launching on April 13, offering over 70 titles for $8 per month.

fromElectronic Frontier Foundation

Print Blocking is Anti-Consumer - Permission to Print Part 1

Legislative restrictions on 3D printers threaten innovation and access to technology, imposing unnecessary limitations on users and manufacturers.

How V Spehar built a news business from under a desk

News creators like Vitus Spehar are redefining journalism for younger audiences through engaging and accessible content on social media.

fromwww.engadget.com

Apple Arcade just got two indie gems

Dredge+ is the complete edition of the game, with all released DLC content. This is pretty much a perfect video game that combines fishing with bone-chilling horror.

Board games

Law

Like journalists, prosecutors shaped a distorted view of crime. They can help fix it, too. - Poynter

Prosecutors and journalists both contribute to misleading public perceptions of crime, but prosecutors possess crucial data to tell a more accurate story.

SF politics

fromLos Angeles Times

Contributor: Investigate the AI campaigns flooding public agencies with fake comments

Artificial intelligence is being exploited to create fake grassroots opposition against clean air regulations, undermining public health initiatives.

Environment

fromHigh Country News

The government-funded coverup under our noses - High Country News

The Bureau of Land Management plans extensive drilling in central California, threatening ecosystems and public health in areas like the Irish Hills.

Higher education

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Student journalists are often on their own. I built a network to change that. - Poynter

A regional network of student newspapers was created to support collaboration and resource sharing among student-run publications in Philadelphia.

Left-wing politics

How to Undermine Authoritarian Control: On Empowering Parallel Institutions | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Civil society must demonstrate the necessity of democratic institutions and social services to protect them from dismantling efforts by ultra-elites.

Artificial intelligence

fromEngadget

It's no longer free to use Claude through third-party tools like OpenClaw

Anthropic will charge third-party apps for using Claude AI, requiring a usage bundle or API key starting April 4.

fromwww.theguardian.com

Six great reads: the OnlyFans legacy, stolen cargo and Meta's creepy' glasses

Leonid Radvinsky's death leaves a void in the leadership of OnlyFans, a platform that has transformed the adult content landscape. His secretive management style and the controversies surrounding the site have raised questions about its future direction and stability.

Photography

Marketing tech

3 days ago

The Facebook insider building content moderation for the AI era | TechCrunch

Brett Levenson advocates for 'policy as code' to improve content moderation at Facebook, addressing deeper issues beyond technology.

The nonprofit Salt Lake Tribune is ready to tear down its paywall

Salt Lake Tribune will eliminate its paywall in May, making all new stories free to read.

fromEngadget

Flipboard's 'social websites' are a new spin on decentralized social media

Flipboard is launching 'social websites' to help publishers and creators engage with decentralized social media.

Fundraising

fromsfist.com

Craiglist's Craig Newmark Is Inspiring Billionaires to Donate Their Fortunes Like He Is

Craig Newmark signed the Giving Pledge to donate up to $1 billion to nonprofits, encouraging other wealthy individuals to do the same.

Artificial intelligence

Online Community Development

Anthropic says Claude Code subscribers will need to pay extra for OpenClaw support | TechCrunch

Claude Code subscribers will face increased costs for using third-party tools like OpenClaw starting April 4.

fromThe Nation

The Bad-News Echo Chamber of Pro-Democracy Substack

Grassroots activism and positive narratives are essential for winning elections and countering the negative portrayal of democracy's challenges.

fromZDNET

3 days ago

How Flipboard's new Surf app lets you merge social feeds, YouTube, and RSS to escape the algorithm - finally

Flipboard Surf aims to create a customizable social network experience by integrating various content types without relying on algorithms.

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

How Dissolving Your Nonprofit Can Strengthen the Sector | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Nonprofit leaders must sometimes choose to dissolve organizations intentionally rather than forcing survival in a weakened state.

#associated-press

fromFortune

1 hour ago

Media industry

Associated Press starts offering buyouts to newspaper journalists amid wider AI transformation | Fortune

4 hours ago

Media industry

The AP is offering buyouts in a pivot away from newspapers

fromFortune

1 hour ago

Associated Press starts offering buyouts to newspaper journalists amid wider AI transformation | Fortune

The Associated Press is offering buyouts to U.S. journalists to shift focus from print journalism to visual journalism and new revenue sources.

4 hours ago

The AP is offering buyouts in a pivot away from newspapers

The Associated Press is shifting focus from newspapers to visual journalism and AI-driven revenue sources due to declining newspaper income.

more#associated-press

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

AI in the Nonprofit Sector Is a Question of Governance, Not Just Technology | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Nonprofits face a critical choice in shaping AI governance or risk external control over its implementation and impact.

fromBusiness Matters

14 hours ago

GB News makes its pitch for a slice of public broadcasting funds

GB News seeks access to government broadcasting grants through competitive tendering, challenging the automatic funding of the BBC.

fromwww.socialmediatoday.com

Snapchat expands Creator Subscriptions to all eligible users

Snapchat's Creator Subscriptions are now available to all eligible Snap creators, allowing monetization through exclusive content offerings.

Miami Dolphins

fromDefector

I Am Standing By For News | Defector

NFL free agency's tampering period begins with teams already negotiating trades and signings before the official window opens, generating intense anticipation among fans.

fromAdExchanger

10 hours ago

Keyword Blocking Demonetized More Than Half Of Reuters' Brand-Safe Stories | AdExchanger

Advertisers should abandon keyword blocklists to improve ad placements and reach loyal news audiences.

Three newsletters for the price of 1.5: Independent journalists experiment with a bundle

Bundling independent journalism subscriptions can reduce costs for readers and support multiple writers effectively.

#instagram

fromThe Verge

Instagram tests letting you pay to view stories anonymously

Meta is testing an Instagram subscription with new features like anonymous story viewing and extended viewing times.

fromInc

Meta Is Testing a Paid Instagram Plan That Could Reveal Who Rewatches Your Stories

Meta is testing an Instagram subscription plan called Instagram Plus to enhance user experience and diversify revenue.

fromThe Verge

Instagram tests letting you pay to view stories anonymously

Meta is testing an Instagram subscription with new features like anonymous story viewing and extended viewing times.

fromInc

Meta Is Testing a Paid Instagram Plan That Could Reveal Who Rewatches Your Stories

Meta is testing an Instagram subscription plan called Instagram Plus to enhance user experience and diversify revenue.

more#instagram

fromLos Angeles Times

1 day ago

How Sports Illustrated is getting back in the game after scandal, layoffs

Sports Illustrated has successfully revitalized its brand and profitability after a challenging period, focusing less on traditional revenue streams.

An AI company set out to fix news deserts. Instead, it copied local journalists' work - Poynter

Nota is shutting down its local news sites due to multiple instances of plagiarism in its articles.

fromThe Nation

Fact-Checkers Anonymous

Condé Nast illegally fired a union leader from The New Yorker, violating labor laws and collective bargaining agreements.

fromFast Company

How AI agents are changing journalism

Working agentically with AI tools significantly enhances productivity and shifts focus from task execution to outcome management.

Amid internal uncertainty, the VTDigger's new union contract guarantees journalists' input on AI use

VTDigger Guild ratified a new contract ensuring salary increases, more paid time off, and provisions regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

Nonprofit news outlets had a strong traffic month in January

Colorado Sun's traffic surged 53% in January due to engaging local stories and events.

fromWIRED

OpenAI Buys Some Positive News

OpenAI acquired TBPN to enhance its public image and engage in constructive conversations about AI technology.

#publishers

Media industry

Digiday+ Research: How Dow Jones, Forbes, The Guardian and other publisher revenue streams are shifting in 2026

Publishers are diversifying revenue streams amid economic challenges, focusing on ads, events, and subscriptions, with events gaining prominence since 2025.

Future of TV Briefing: What publishers have to offer creators

Publishers are increasingly collaborating with creators to enhance revenue opportunities and audience reach.

Digiday+ Research: How Dow Jones, Forbes, The Guardian and other publisher revenue streams are shifting in 2026

Publishers are diversifying revenue streams amid economic challenges, focusing on ads, events, and subscriptions, with events gaining prominence since 2025.

Future of TV Briefing: What publishers have to offer creators

Publishers are increasingly collaborating with creators to enhance revenue opportunities and audience reach.

more#publishers

fromArchitectural Digest

Should You Start a Substack?

Interior designers increasingly launch Substack newsletters to reach audiences fatigued with traditional social media, though success requires significant time investment and strategic content planning.

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Politics in an Attention Economy | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Candidates must be cultural figures to succeed in today's American politics, navigating an attention economy shaped by algorithms.

#local-news

fromHigh Country News

How HCN is helping fill a growing need for local news - High Country News

Local newspapers are declining, prompting the creation of the Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative to support environmental journalism in the West.

US politics

Even amid setbacks, public funding for local news is expanding at the state level - Poynter

fromwww.amny.com

US politics

Op-Ed | New York wants to save local news. They're forgetting about nonprofits and public media amNewYork

fromHigh Country News

How HCN is helping fill a growing need for local news - High Country News

Local newspapers are declining, prompting the creation of the Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative to support environmental journalism in the West.

US politics

Even amid setbacks, public funding for local news is expanding at the state level - Poynter

fromwww.amny.com

US politics

Op-Ed | New York wants to save local news. They're forgetting about nonprofits and public media amNewYork

Local Publishers Hit By AI Traffic Drops Collaborate For Revenue Relief | AdExchanger

AI-generated answers are diminishing traffic for smaller publishers, prompting collaboration to enhance reach and revenue.

fromSemafor

Exclusive: Substack rival Beehiiv makes a push into podcasting

Beehiiv enters podcasting to compete in the creator economy by offering a comprehensive service for independent creators.

US politics

fromEmptywheel

Fund Unchained Journalism of Emptywheel: It's All Because Of You

Emptywheel provides independent, deeply analytic investigative journalism led by Marcy Wheeler, requiring reader support to sustain its oversight, consistency, and staff.

Fundraising

Craig Newmark explains why he's pulling back on funding journalism

Craig Newmark is reducing journalism funding after concluding many grants were less effective than hoped and will refocus on cybersecurity and military-family support.

fromwww.mediaite.com

60,000 Washington Post Customers Canceled Subscriptions

Washington Post's 350-journalist layoffs triggered over 60,000 digital subscription cancellations, costing approximately $2.4 million in annual revenue.

A new report looks at 559 funding proposals to determine local journalism's biggest problems

Local journalism funding suffers from too many competing nonprofit solutions, inefficient intermediaries, and philanthropic institutions failing to select viable winners or allow unsuccessful projects to fail.

fromHamiltonnolan

4 weeks ago

Patrons of Journalism

Advertising has historically funded journalism, creating tension between editorial independence and business interests, though this model now faces disruption from tech platforms monopolizing ad revenue.

It's time for local news funders to pick winners, scale up, and force mergers, a new report argues

Press Forward made almost $23 million in grants to 22 organizations aimed at bolstering the infrastructure for local news. The grants were the culmination of a request for proposals process that began accepting applications in November 2024, and elicited 559 proposals.

Media industry

New York Times runs in-house ad asking listeners to "support any news organization dedicated to original reporting"

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger released his first-ever advertisement encouraging people to support any news organization dedicated to original reporting, not just the Times, to address the shrinking news industry.

The Baltimore Beat experiments with pay-what-you-can ads

Baltimore Beat launches pay-what-you-can advertising to help small businesses reach local readers as an alternative to declining Google search reliability and algorithm-driven social media platforms.

Journalism lost its culture of sharing. Here's how we rebuild it

If you've worked in a technical role in news for long enough, you likely remember when the "show your work" spirit was everywhere. Newsroom nerds shared code on GitHub, swapped tips on social media and unfurled long blogs guiding others on how to get things done. You might also have a vague sense that - like reaction GIFs, demotivational posters, and that guy who sang "Chocolate Rain" - you're seeing less of it these days.

Media industry

#washington-post

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Media industry

30+ things The Washington Post did wrong and 19+ things they could do to fix it

Media industry

As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

fromNonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Media industry

30+ things The Washington Post did wrong and 19+ things they could do to fix it

Media industry

As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

Newsrooms are taking comments seriously again

Reader comment sections are resurging as publishers reinvest in moderated, subscriber-gated or automated-comment systems to drive engagement and revenue.

fromBusiness Insider