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NonprofitOnlineJournalism
andtheQuestforSustainability
APPROVEDBY
SUPERVISINGCOMMITTEE:
RenitaColeman
DavidGarlock
Supervisor:
NonprofitOnlineJournalism
andtheQuestforSustainability
by
JosephAbelHolloway,B.A.
Report
PresentedtotheFacultyoftheGraduateSchoolof
TheUniversityofTexasatAustin
inPartialFulfillment
oftheRequirements
fortheDegreeof
MasterofArts
TheUniversityofTexasatAustin
May2011
Dedication
Tomyfamily,friendsandteacherswhohaveneverceasedtobevaluedsourcesof
encouragementandsupport.
v
Acknowledgements
Theauthorgratefullyacknowledgesthetime,effortandassistanceofRenita
Coleman, David Garlock, Rosental Alves, Karie Meltzer, John Thornton and Jim
Moroney.
vi
Abstract
NonprofitOnlineJournalism
andtheQuestforSustainability
JosephAbelHolloway,M.A.
TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,2011
Supervisors:RenitaColeman
Theauthorgivesan in‐depth look intononprofit journalism,particularly in
theformofonlinemedia.Thereportisdividedintofoursections.Thefirstsection
provides a general overview of the online nonprofit news landscape and a brief
discussion of why news organizations are looking to it as a possible model for
sustainable news in the future. The profiles of specific nonprofit online news
organizations begin with section two and an examination of ProPublica. Section
threelooksattheTexasTribune.SectionfourlooksattheAustinPost.
vii
TableofContents
ListofFigures ............................................................................................................................viii
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1
ProPublica ...................................................................................................................................... 4
TheTexasTribune....................................................................................................................13
TheAustinPost ..........................................................................................................................23
Bibliography................................................................................................................................36
Vita ...............................................................................................................................................40
viii
ListofFigures
Figure1:TheDeclineoftheNewsroomWorkforce..................................................... 6
Figure2:TheTribune's2011Budget...............................................................................18
Figure3:ComparativeGraphofOrganizations'AnnualBudgets ........................29
1
Introduction
JimMoroney,publisheroftheDallasMorningNews,spokeonApril12,2011
toagatheringofabout50peopleonthecampusoftheUniversityofTexasatAustin.
HehadflownfromDallasandcamestraighttoUT’scommunication’sbuildingto
giveaspeechonwhytheDallasMorningNews,oneofthelargestnewspapersinthe
countrywithaweekdaycirculationof263,810i,implementedapaywallonthe
paper’swebsiteonMarch8,2011.
Ofcourse,Moroneysaid“paywall”isn’thispreferredterminology.
“Wecallit‘subscribercontentinitiative,’”hesaid.“Ihatethetermpaywall.
Whowantsapaywall?Iwouldn’twantapaywallifitwasagoodthing.”
WhatevertheDallasMorningNewscallsit,thefactremains,ifareaderwants
toaccessanyoriginalcontentonthepaper’swebsite(columns,localreporting,
sports,prettymucheverythingthat’snotoffofanewswireservicelikethe
AssociatedPress),theywillnowhavetopurchaseasubscriptionpackage.
Theshortversionofwhyreadershavetopayfornewsthathas,until
recently,beenfreetoobtainonthewebisprettysimple:therejustaren’tenough
piecesofthepietogoaround.
“Whatthenewspapersthoughtwasthatiftheygrewbigaudiencesthey
wouldgetbigadrevenue,”saidMoroney.“That’swhathappenedwithtraditional
newspaperbusinessesuntilabout2000.
2
“Itwasaverysimpleformula.SothenewspapercompaniesofAmerica
thoughtwelllet’sgooutontheInternetwiththesehugeaudiences,becausethere
arenogeographicrestrictions,andwe’regoingtomakeawholelotmoremoney
online.”
Theproblemis,accordingtoMoroney,theDallasMorningNewsstandsto
makeabout$14.2millionfromit’swebsiteonadvertisingrevenuealoneifithas
100percentselloutofalladsanda$10costperthousand,whichisoptimisticbyhis
ownadmission.$14.2millionseemslikealotofmoney,butit’slessthanhalfofthe
$35milliontheDallasMorningNewsspendsonpeopleandresources,whichare
paramounttothereportingMoroneycalledessential.
“Itisthefreepressinthiscountrythatisdoinganimportantjobofwatching
outhowyourgovernmentisspendingyourmoneyandhowyourelectedofficials
areconductingthemselveswhileinoffice,”hesaid.“Unfortunatelyhistoryhas
taughtusthatpowerultimatelyisacorruptinginfluenceonsomanypeople.Ifthe
newspaperbusiness,notthenewspaper,I’mnottalkingaboutthephysicalproduct,
ifwecan’tsupportthescaleofthenewsroomsthatthesenewspapersareemploying
acrossthiscountry,we’regoingtolose,I’mgoingtoguess,halfofthejournalists
todaywhoarecoveringcity,countyandstategovernmentandthey’renotgoingto
bereplaced.”
Asthephysicalnewspapercontinuestolosepopularityii,for‐profitnews
organizationsaregoingtohavetofindnewrevenuestreamsinordertosurvive.
3
Traditionalnewsgroupsdon’tlastlongwithoutturningaprofit,soitwillbe
interestingtoseehowtheDallasMorningNews’experimentwithpaywallsplays
out.
But,whatiftryingtoturnaprofitwasexactlywhysomanytraditionalnews
organizationsarehavingtoscalebackorgooutofbusinessentirely?Whatif,inthis
ageoftheInternet,fast‐pacedmobilemediaandopencommunication,information
issupposedtobefree?
Ifthatwerethecase,thenanentirelydifferentbusinessmodelwouldbe
required,onethatwasabletofunctionwithoutsubscriptions,shareholders,etc.
Wouldsuchamodelbesustainableforanygreatamountoftime?
That’sthequestionmanynewnonprofitnewsorganizationsaretryingto
answer,withvaryingapproachestothenonprofitmodel.Thisreportprovidesan
examinationandevaluationofthreedifferentnonprofitnewsorganizationsthat
havelaunchedsince2008,andareallprimarilyonlinepublications(ProPublica,The
AustinPost,TheTexasTribune).Eachhasadifferentfocusandmethodology,butall
arenonprofitsattemptingtopioneernewwaysofcoveringnewsandgettingitto
theirreaders.
4
ProPublica
Areaderscanningthehomepagesofanyofthetop10newswebsitesonthe
Internetcaneasilyfindanumberofstoriesoncurrentworldevents.In2011,the
biggestheadlineshavepertainedtotheearthquakeandsubsequenttsunami
disasterbefallingJapan,uprisingsinLibyaandEgypt,andtheUnitedStates’
assassinationofOsamabinLaden.
Andrightlyso.
ThesituationinJapanwasshockingandtragic.Thesuccessfuluprising
againstadictatorialregimeinEgyptwasinspiring.TheongoinguprisingandU.S.
involvementinLibyaisacontinuingpointofconcern.ThedeathofOsamabinLaden
liftsaweightofftheshouldersofeveryAmerican,andiscertainlyoneofthebiggest
newsstoriesoftheyear.
Therewerealsotaxtips,articlesonhowtoloseweightbeforeswimsuittime,
thelatestfromtheNCAATournamentandthelatestobligatoryarticleonCharlie
Sheen’slatest“torpedooftruth.”
Areaderscanningthesehomepages,lookingforsomethingagooddealmore
indepth,aninvestigativepieceexposinggovernmentcorruptionorahardlookat
HurricaneKatrinalongafterthedisasterhasleftthefrontpages,wouldalmost
certainlybeoutofluck.
Thereasonisfairlysimple.
5
Investigativestoriesareexpensive,time‐consuming,couldleadtoevenmore
expensivelegalramificationsifastoryrunswithflawsandoftenjustdon’tpanout,
evenafteranewsorganizationhaspouredagooddealofmoneyintothem.Many
newsorganizationssimplydon’t(oratleastthinktheydon’t)havethefundsfor
suchstories.
AccordingtoRobertW.McChesney,journalistandprofessorattheUniversity
ofIllinoisatUrbana‐Champaign,“thecorruptionofjournalism,thedeclineof
investigativereporting,thedegenerationofpoliticalreportingandinternational
journalism,theabsurdhorseracecoverageofcampaigns,thecollapseoflocal
journalism,theincreasingprevalenceofcelebrityandscandalarenowroundly
acknowledgedbyallbuttheownersoflargemediafirmsandtheirhiredguns.”iii
Addtothatthefacttherearesimplyfewerreportersandtheoneswhodo
havejobsarestretchedthinjustcoveringthenewsoftheday.TheProjectfor
ExcellenceinJournalismatthePewResearchCenterfound1,000to1,500more
newsroomjobswerelostin2010inits“StateoftheMedia2011.”ivThat’snotasbad
astheapproximately5,200jobslostin2009orthe5,900jobslostin2008.But,ina
newsroomenvironmentthathaslost30percentofitsjobssince2000,it’sno
surpriseadeclineininvestigativereportingwouldfollowaswell.
6
Figure1:ThedeclineofthenewsroomworkforceaccordingtotheProjectfor
ExcellenceinJournalism’s“StateoftheMedia2011.”v
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
TotalNewsroomWorkforce
TotalNewsroomWorkforce
7
ThenonprofitnewsorganizationProPublica’swebsitedescribesthe
situationwell:
“Morethananyotherjournalisticform,investigativejournalismcanrequire
agreatdealoftimeandlabortodowell—andbecausethe‘prospecting’necessary
forsuchstoriesinevitablyyieldsasubstantialnumberof‘dryholes,’i.e.storiesthat
seempromisingatfirst,butultimatelyproveeitherlessinterestingorimportant
thanfirstthought,orevensimplyuntrueandthusunpublishable.Giventhese
realities,manynewsorganizationshaveincreasinglycometoseeinvestigative
journalismasaluxurythatcanbeputasideintougheconomictimes.”vi
ProPublicawaslaunchedintothisvoidofinvestigativejournalisminJanuary
of2008.
Intheorganization’sownwords,ProPublicais“anindependent,nonprofit
newsroomthatproducesinvestigativejournalisminthepublicinterest.”
ProPublica’s32‐memberteamwritestheorganization’sstories,sometimesalone
butoftenwithoneofitsmorethan50partnernewsorganizations,anddisseminates
themonitsownwebsiteorallowsthepartnerorganizationtopublishthemonline
orinprint.
“Eachstorywepublishisdistributedinamannerdesignedtomaximizeits
impact,”saystheProPublicawebsite.“Manyofour‘deepdive’storiesareoffered
exclusivelytoatraditionalnewsorganization,freeofcharge,forpublicationor
broadcast.Wepublished138suchstoriesin2009with38differentpartners.”
8
ProPublicawasthoughtupandisfinanciallybackedbyformerchief
executivesofGoldenWestFinancialCorporationHerbertandMarionSandler.Some
haveheraldedthegroupasthesaviorofinvestigativejournalism;othershave
writtenitoffforaperceivedliberalspin.
“ProPublicachurnsoutlittlemorethanleft‐winghitpiecesaboutSarahPalin
andblamestheU.S.governmentforgivingouttoolittleforeignaid,”saidone
opinionpiecebyCherylChumley,a2008‐09PhillipsFoundationRobertNovak
journalismfellow.“ProPublica’scoveragethusfarhashadadistinctlyliberal
bent.”vii
MuchoftheskepticismleveledatProPublicacomesasaresultofthe
financialbackinggivenbytheSandlers.Thecouple’snetworthwasestimatedby
Forbestobeabout$1.26billionin2006andtheyhavepledgedtogive$10million
tofundProPublicaannually.But,it’snotthemerefactthatthey’refundingan
investigativejournalismorganizationthatgeneratescriticismasmuchastheother
placestheysendtheirmoney.
Inrecentyears,they'vespentmillionsonpolitics.TheFederalElectionCommissiondatabaseshowsthetwoofthemgivinghundredsofthousandsofdollarstoDemocraticPartycampaigns.In2004,HerbertSandlergavetheMoveOn.orgVoterFund$2.5million,againaccordingtotheFECdatabase.TheCenterforResponsivePoliticsWebsitereportsdonationsof$8.5millionfromHerbertandMariontothe527groupCitizensforaStrongSenate,inthe2004cycle.CSSwasformedby"agroupofstrategistswithclosetiestoformerNorthCarolinaSen.JohnEdwards,"writesthewashingtonpost.com'sChrisCillizza.AmericanBankerreportedin2005thatHerbertalsogave$1milliontotheCaliforniastemcell
9
initiativeandthatthepairhavealsofundedtheprogressiveCenterforAmericanProgress.viii
BasedonwheretheSandlersaresendingtheirpoliticaldonations,onecan
easilysurmisewhichsideofthepoliticalfencetheyareon.Thequestionthen
becomeswhetherornotanonprofitnewsorganizationfundedalmostentirelyby
theliberalleaningcouplecanhopetomaintainanimpartialpositionwhendoingthe
investigativeworkitdeclaresisitssolepurpose.
Some,likeChumley,don’tthinkitcan.
“Moreinvestigativejournalism:Whocouldbeagainstit?Unfortunately,what
usedtobecalled‘muckraking’islikelytoproducelittlemorethanleft‐wingranting
andconservativebashing,”theWashingtonExaminerbloggersaidonthesubject.
“Onthebasisofwhat’sbeenproducedsofar,ProPublicawouldbebetterknownas
ProLiberal.”
Somearen’tquitesoabashedinvocalizingtheirconcerns,butstillhavethem.
“Philanthropists,especiallythosewhoearnedthefortunethey'regiving
away,tendnottodistributetheirmoneywithablindeyetotheresults.Howhappy
willtheybeifProPublicagorestheirsacredDemocraticcows?Ortakesthe"wrong"
positionontheirpetprojects:health,theenvironment,andcivilliberties?”Slate
writerJackShafersaidina2007articleprofilingtheSandlersbeforethelaunchof
ProPublica.”IfIwereanewspapereditorconsideringProPublicacopyforafuture
issue,thefirstthingI'dwantisproofofafirewallpreventingtheSandlersandother
fundersfrompicking—ornixing—thetargetsofitsprobes.”
10
ProPublicaeditor‐in‐chiefPaulSteigerhassaidhehadthesameworries
beforehetookthejob.TheformerWallStreetJournalmanagingeditorspokeinan
interviewwithJefferyBrownonPBS’“Newshour”ofanexchangehehadwiththe
Sandlersbeforehishiring.
“Comingintothis,whenItalkedtoHerbandMarionSandler,oneofmy
concernswaspreciselythisquestionofindependenceandnonpartisanship,”hesaid.
“Myhistoryhasbeendoing'downthemiddle'reporting.AndsowhenItalkedto
HerbandMarionIsaid'areyoucomfortablewiththat?'Theysaid'absolutely'.Isaid
'wellsupposewedidanexposeofsomeoftheleftleaningorganizationsthatyou
havesupportedorthatarefriendlytowhatyou'vesupportedinthepast'.Theysaid
'noproblem'.Andwhenwesetupourorganizationalstructure,theboardof
directors,onwhichIsitandwhichHerbisthechairman,doesnotknowinadvance
whatwe'regoingtoreporton.”ix
Steigerindicatedthat,becauseofthewayProPublicaissetup,hehas
virtuallythesameamountoffreedomtoruntheorganizationashedidwhenhewas
attheWallStreetJournal.
IfSteigerwastheonlyoneextollingProPublica’svirtues,onemighttakehis
wordswithagrainofsalt,butthenonprofithasturnedoutsomesolidinvestigative
reporting.Specifically,writerSheriFinkwroteanarticleonaNewOrleanshospital
isolatedbyfloodwaterswithoutpowerorrunningwaterafterHurricaneKatrina.
Thestorywonthe2010PulitzerPrizeforinvestigativereporting.
11
IttookFinkovertwoyearstoreportthestoryandsheinterviewedover140
people.AfteritraninTheNewYorkTimes,itledtoanewinvestigationintoatleast
onepatient’sdeath.x
OnlinenewsoutletshavenotalwaysbeeneligibletoreceiveaPulitzer,but
theprize’sregulationswerebroadenedin2008toincludeonline‐onlypublications.
ThoughFink’sstoryalsoraninTheNewYorkTimes,ProPublicaisconsideredthe
firstonlinenewssourcetoreceiveaPulitzer.
ProPublica’sPulitzerwinledtoheadlineslike“Nonprofit’sNewsGathering
PaysOff”inanarticlebytheWashingtonPost’sHowardKurtzand“PulitzerPrizes
ConfirmRiseofOnlineJournalism”intheInternationalHeraldTribune.
“ProPublica'ssuccessisapositiveindicatorthatanonprofitonlinebusiness
modelcansustainthecostofinvestigativejournalism,”saysRobertEisenhartina
postoneditorsweblog.org,apartoftheWorldAssociationofNewspaperswebsite.
“ThisshouldgivehopetootherorganizationslikeCaliforniaWatchandtheTexas
Tribunewhoalsouseanonprofitmodeltosustaininvestigativejournalism.While
theseorganizationshaven'treceivedthesamelevelofrecognitionasProPublica,it
givescredencetothepotentialinnonprofitjournalism.”xi
Assuch,itseemslikelythat,asitbecomesincreasinglydifficultfor
traditionalfor‐profitnewsorganizationstoproduce,investigativejournalismcould
findahomeinonlinenonprofitnewsrooms.Itremainstobeseenifsuchmodelsare
12
sustainablewithouttremendousamountsofbackingfromdeep‐pocketedfinanciers
(whichwillalwaysraisequestionsinandofitself).
HighprofilenonprofitslikeProPublicadogreatworkandgrabalotof
headlinesdoingso.Firstsarealwaysnotableandbeingthefirstonlinepublication
towinaPulitzerwillgetagreatdealofwelldeservedattention.However,itwould
bewrongtoassumethat,justbecauseProPublicaisseeminglyattheheadofthe
nonprofitpackatthemoment,thatitwillbesoforever,orevenbearoundatall.
ProPublicaisdoinggreatworktopatchaholeinjournalismwherethe
investigativepartusedtobe,butit’soneexpensivepatch.WithHerbandMarion
Sandlerthrowing$10millionannuallyatthenonprofit,ProPublicaseemstobe
doingagreatdealtofillthevoidtemporarily,butlittletofigureouthowto
permanentlysealit.
13
TheTexasTribune
ProPublicaandtheSandlersaren’ttheonlymodelofonlinenonprofit
journalism.Manyonlinenonprofitnewsorganizationsworkwithlessmoneythan
ProPublicaandseeseekingsustainabilityasaprimarygoals.
TheTexasTribune,oneoftheseorganizations,waslaunchedonNov.3,2009.
TheTribune’swebsitedescribesthenonprofitas“anonpartisan,nonprofitmedia
organizationthatpromotescivicengagementanddiscourseonpublicpolicy,
politics,government,andothermattersofstatewideconcern.Ourvisionistoserve
thejournalismcommunityasasourceofinnovationandtobuildthenextgreat
publicmediabrandintheUnitedStates.”xii
Theorganizationisstillinitsinfancy,butmanyarelookingtoitasoneof
journalism’sbestshotsatcrackingtheonlinenonprofitsustainabilitycode.
Ataglance,theTribuneseemsagreatdeallikeProPublica:bothare
nonprofits.Bothpartnerwithmoretraditionalnewsoutletstomaketheircontent
morewidelyavailable.Bothhaveyounghotshotwritersandexperiencededitors
whoarepaidverywell(accordingtotheAustinChronicle,somewritersearnas
muchas$90,000andeditor‐in‐chiefEvanSmithearns$315,000).xiii
Thesimilaritiesdon’tendthere.Bothorganizationscameintoexistenceasa
reactiontotheever‐shrinkingpresenceofstrongin‐depthjournalisminthepresent
daymediascape.
14
“WhenImovedtoTexasnearly19yearsago,twothingswerethecasethat
arenotthecasetoday.ThefirstisthereweretwodailynewspapersinHouston,San
Antonio,DallasandElPaso.Today,therearesixmarketsinthecountry,noneof
theminTexas,withtwodailynewspapers.Soweknowthattherearemanyfewer
newspaperspublishingtodaythantherewereeven20yearsago,”Smithsaid
duringhispresentationonnonprofitjournalismatthe11thAnnualInternational
SymposiumonOnlineJournalismin2010.xiv
TexasTribunefounderandchairmanJohnThorntonsaidhewantsthe
organizationtopickupsomeoftheslackleftbythoseshrinkinginstitutions.
“Broadly,for‐profitpublicationsdon’tnecessarilyputthemostresources
intowhatisthehardestorthemostimportantorthemostrelevant,”hesaid.“They
dothebesttheycan,butallofthemhaveeconomicchallenges.SoIthinkweserve
asasupplementtothefor‐profitoutlets.”xv
Atthe12thAnnualInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalismin2011,
ThorntonrelatedaconversationhehadwithlongtimejournalistDanRather.
“IrememberpitchingthistoDanRatherveryearlyandhegotthiskindoffar
offexpressiononhisface.Hesaid‘myfirstjob50yearsagoinjournalismwasto
coverthestatecapitolinTexasfortheNo.3radiostationinHouston,’”Thornton
said.“FiftyyearsagotheNo.3radiostationinHoustonhadafulltimereporteron
thecapitolbeat.Todayyoucouldn’tfindahumanbeingattheNo.3radiostationin
15
Houston,muchlessonecoveringthestatecapitol.Soit’sthatsortofdisintegration
offocusonstatewideissuethatledustotheTribune.”
AnotherchallengetheTribunefaces,whichtheProPublicafounderscan
relateto,isbeingacceptedasanunbiasedsourceofnewswhilereceivingthevast
majorityofitsfundingfromasingle,liberal‐leaningbacker,Thornton.Ina2009
WashingtonPostarticlebyHowardKurtz,Thorntondescribeshimselfasan
“unreformedlimousineliberal”whostartedtheTribuneoutofgreed.xvi
AccordingtodatafromtheCenterforResponsivePolitics,DemocratsBill
White,ChetEdwards,JackMcDonald,PatrickLeahyandHarryReadeachgot$2,400
fromThorntonfortheirpoliticalcampaignsin2009.xvii
“Thorntonandhiswife,Julie,havegivenmorethan$194,000tofederal
DemocraticcandidatesandcampaigncommitteessinceJanuary2008,”accordingto
theJuly24,2009editionoftheHoustonChronicle’s“TexasPolitics”blog.“When
TexasGov.GeorgeW.Bush,aRepublican,wasrunningforpresidentin2000,
Thorntongave$50,000totheDemocraticNationalCommittee.Atthestatelevel,the
Thorntonshavedonatedmorethan$96,000since2000toDemocraticcauses,
mostlyinthepasttwoyears.”xviii
AswiththeSandlers,theThorntonspoliticalleaningshavecausedmanyto
questiontheTexasTribune’sneutralityand,unlikeProPublica,theTribunedoesn’t
haveanyPulitzers(yet)topointtointheirdefense.However,unliketheSandlers
andbeforetheTribuneevenlaunched,Thorntonsaidhewouldceaseanyandall
16
contributionstopoliticalcampaignsinanefforttoshowhisdedicationtocreating
anunbiasedproduct.
“ItisabsolutelytruethatIhaveretiredfrompartisanpolitics,”Thorntonsaid
onhisJuly24,2009blogentry.“ThemembersoftheJournalismTribe–particularly
theyoungones–tendtoostracizethepartisansintheirmidst,tomakethemeat
lunchatBurgerKingratherthantheplaceallthecoolkidsgo.AndIhavetotellyou:
theteamEvanandRosshavehiredcansmellapartisanfrom50paces.
“Ifwe–I,Iguess–wouldhavewantedtobuildjustanotherpartisanecho
chamber,wewouldhavebuiltaverydifferentteam.AndattractingaSmithora
Ramseywouldhavebeenimpossible.”xix
ButthefactthatThorntonhashaltedhispoliticaldonationsisn’ttheonly,or
eventhemostimportant,differenceinhowhehasapproachedstartingtheTribune.
Insteadoftakingthe“expensivepatch”methodtheSandlersuse,inputting$10
millionannuallytowardProPublica,Thorntononlyput$1milliontowardthe
Tribuneinitsfirstyearandinsistsitberunlikeabusinessinthehopeofoneday
achievingsustainabilitywithoutrelyingonmajorgiving.
“Wehaven’tdefinitivelyprovensustainabilityfornonprofitnews,butIthink
we’regainingonit,”Thorntonsaid.TheTribuneisin“anumberofdifferent
businessesthatlookjustlikefor‐profitbusinesses”andhasbetween$1.5and$2
millionin“corporatesponsorship”inventory.
17
“Wecallthemsponsors,youcancallthemadvertisers,”Thorntonsaid.
“Thesearefolkswhomakemedia‐buydecisionsjustliketheydoonfor‐profitsites
andtheypartnerwithusbecausethismonthwehad415,000readers.”
Ideally,ThorntonsaidthegoalistohaveabouthalfoftheTribune’s$3.3
millionbudgettakencareofthroughcorporatesponsorshipandtherestmadeupof
memberships(whichrangefrom$50to$5000),eventsandpremiumcontent.
18
Figure2:TheTexasTribune’s2011BudgetaccordingtofounderJohnThornton
Trib's$3.3millionbudget
CorporateSponsorships‐$2million
MembershipRevenue‐$300,000
Shortfall(MajorGiving)‐$1,000,000
19
“Premiumcontent,today,isabouta$300,000business.Membershipbudget
isabout$300,000.Wecurrentlyhaveabout2,500members,”Thorntonsaid.“Add
allthatupthisyear,andthegoalistoloseahalfmilliondollarsonthe$3.3million
budget.Welostamilliondollarslastyearandthenthegoalwouldbetobreakeven
withoutmajorgivingin2012.It’sastretchgoal,andit’snotgoingtobeeasy,but
that’stheidea.”
Thehighestlevelofmembershipcosts$5000.Thorntonsaidanythingabove
thatisconsidered“majorgiving”andanunreliablesourceofrevenueforthe
Tribune.
“Weknowthat,overthelongterm,relianceonmajorgivingisnotwherewe
wanttobe,”hesaid.“But,weoughttorunthislikeabusinessandthat’ssomething
thatEvandrillsintohisstaff’sheadeveryday.”xx
Withthatmentality,theTexasTribuneisforecasttobreakevenby2013
accordingtotheorganization’sownwebsite.xxiIftheTribunecontinuestorelyless
andlessonmajorgiving($1millioninit’sfirstyear,$500,000init’ssecond),it’snot
anunrealisticgoalandthat’swhymanyarelookingtotheTribuneasperhapsonline
nonprofitjournalism’sbestshot.It’snotswimminginthekindofmoneyProPublica
isandthepeoplerunningtheshowhavenointentionsofperpetuallysinkingmoney
intoitjusttokeepitafloat.
WeretheTribunedoessucceedinbreakingevenandhavesomeextra
revenue,Thorntonsaidhehasbigplansfortheorganization’sfuture.
20
“Thehopeisthatwecanoperateintheblackwithacushionandcontinueto
growtheorganizationandreallybuildabigpublicmediabrand,”hesaid.“The
possibilitiesarealmostlimitless.I’dlovetohavereportersonthegroundallover
thestate.I’dlovetohaveabureauinthevalley.We’rejustnoteventouchingwhat
wecoulddowithmoreresources.”xxii
Still,eveniftheTribunedoesbecomeasustainablenewsorganization,it’s
notamodelthatThorntonsaidhethinkswouldbeeasilyreplicable.
“Thisishard.Andit’snotobvioustomethatthismodelisreplicableand
sustainablebroadly,kindofallovertheplace,”hesaid.“Iwouldn’twanttotrytorun
thisplacewithoutEvanSmith,oranywhereelsebutTexas,becauseIthinkitisvery
difficult.ButIthinkit’scertainlyworthit.It’scertainlyworthtrying.”
InAprilof2010,theKnightFoundationsponsoredaroundtablemeetingof
nonprofitorganizationscalled“SeekingSustainability,”attheUniversityofTexas.
TheroundtablefeaturedpeoplefromtheTexasTribuneandvariousotheronline
nonprofitnewsorganizationsfromaroundthecountry,suchastheVoiceofSan
Diego,theChicagoNewsCooperativeandOaklandLocal.Afterward,theKnight
FoundationpublishedareportbyChristopherSopherontheeventinwhichhesaid
thatthenonprofitnewsorganizationspresentattheroundtable“aredoing
encouraginglywellatexecutingtheircorejournalisticandcommunityinformation
missions…However:financial,organizationalandtechnologicalsustainabilityare
seriouschallenges.”
21
Oneyearlater,itseemsasiftheTexasTribunehastakenonallofthose
challengesandlookstobeinafavorablepositiontosurmounttheminthenear
future.Onlytimewilltell.But,thefinancialbackingfromThorntonhasensuredthe
Tribunewon’thavetheearlyresourceproblemsofmanyothernonprofitstartups.
Smithisaseasonededitorwhohasprovenhecanrunanorganizationofthe
Tribune’smagnitude.Thankstothoseresourcesandleadership,theTribuneison
thecuttingedgeoftechnologyaswell.Allthepiecesareinplace.
“TheonethingEvanandI,whenwewereraisingmoneyforthisattheoutset,
coulddefinitivelysaywasthatweweregoingtoputoutagoodproduct.Wecould
definitivelysayitwasgoingtobeanonpartisaneffort,whichitverymuchis.What
wecouldn’tdefinitivelysayiswouldanybodycare,”hesaid.“Whenyouthrowa
party,yourconcernisalwaysthatnobody’sgoingtoshowupandwhathappenedto
usiskindoftheneighborscalledthecopssomanypeopleshowedup.
“Soit’sbeentremendouslygratifying,thelevelofinterestinthecontent
thesefolksaredoingandthey’vewonawholebunchofawards.Isortofchokeup,
I’msoproudofwhatthey’vedone.”
TheTexasTribuneoffersthemostbusinesslikeapproachtononprofitjournalismto
date.Theorganization’swebsitesaysthatit’slookingtobreakevenona$3million
budgetby2013xxiiiand,afteratalkwithfounderandchairmanJohnThornton,oneis
hardpressednottotaketheclaimasinevitable.
22
Speakingatthe12thAnnualInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalism
attheUniversityofTexasinAustinonApril2,2011,Thorntonwasevenmore
optimisticthanhiswebsite’sstatedgoal.
“Welostamilliondollarslastyearandthenthegoalwouldbetobreakeven
withoutmajorgivingin2012,”hesaid.“It’sastretchgoal,andit’snotgoingtobe
easy,butthat’stheidea.”
ButnotallsignspointtothesituationbeingasrosyasThornton’soptimism
wouldindicate.AccordingtoanarticlebyChristopherCalnanintheAustinBusiness
JournalfromMarch11,2011,theTribune,“membershipshavefallenshortof
expectations,buttheorganizationattractedmoredonormoneyandwebsitetraffic
thanithadinitiallyprojected.”xxiv
FallingshortonmembershipexpectationsisokiftheTribunemakes
upforitbyreceivingmoredonationsthanexpected,butit’snothowThornton
wantstorunthenonprofit,“likeabusiness.”
23
TheAustinPost
TheAustinPostisperhapsthemosttrulyexperimentalonlinenonprofit
newsorganizationtopopupinthepastfewyears.Thesimilaritiesbetweenitanda
ProPublicaandtheTexasTribunebeginandendlargelywiththefactthey’reall
nonprofitsandprovidesomesortofnewsavailablefreelytothepubliconthe
Internet.
ThePostisthebrainchildofScottBrighton,presidentoftheAustin‐based
softwarecompanyTrilogy,andJoeLiemondt,thecompany’sCEO.xxv
Brighton,whostillhasthreenewspapersdeliveredtohishouseeveryday,
saidhe’salwayshadaloveofjournalismandaninterestinindustriesinastateof
“chaoticflux,”andthat’swhatledhimtotheideatostarttheAustinPost.
“Theeconomicsofthenewspaperarefascinating.Virtuallyalltherevenue
comesfromadvertising,andthatrevenueisbasicallygoingaway,”hesaid.“The
onlinerevenuethatisreplacingtheofflinerevenueisreplacingitatafractionalrate.
Whatdoyoudo?
“Onewayistofocusonrevenue‐hangonandhopethatonlineadratescatch
uptooffline.Orputupapaywall,likeTheWallStreetJournal.Oraskpeopleor
companiestomakedonations,liketheTexasTribune.”
Anotherway,whichthePosthasemployed,istoscaledowntheeditorialtoa
smallteam,andthenleveragetheburgeoningranksofamateurjournaliststofillin
therest.
24
“Mybeliefwasthiscouldwork,”Brightonsaid.“Theaggregationofallthe
randomblogsinAustinactuallywouldproduceaprettycompellingnewspaper,and
thesmallpaidjournalismteamcouldcoverallthebreakingnewsthatthismodel
doesnotlenditselfwellto.”
ButthePostdidn’talwayshaveeventhesmalleditorialteamitnowhas.
Accordingtoeditor‐in‐chiefKarieMeltzer,theoriginalideabehindthePostwasthat
itwouldbeanopen‐sourcedcommunitynewswebsite,likeahyper‐localWikipedia
meetstheHuffingtonPost.ThePostwasmeanttoseeifalow‐budgetopen‐sourced
newsnonprofitcouldcompetewiththewebtrafficlikethatofadailynewspaper
website.
“Thatwastheirgoal,”saideditor‐in‐chiefKarieMeltzer.“Theythoughtwe
havetodoitusergeneratedsowedon’thavetopayanywriters.Andthatwastheir
originalthinkingbutwe’vemadealotofchanges.”
Amongthosechanges,theadditionofthesmalleditorialstaffBrightonspoke
of.Butitwasn’tachangethathappenedovernight.
“ThePost,itoriginallylaunchedasanalluser‐submittedcommunitynews
website,”Meltzersaid.“Thetheorywasthatanyonecouldgoon,createaprofileand
writeanarticle.”
Meltzer,whooriginallyappliedforanassistanteditorpositionbutwas
quicklypromotedwhentheoriginaleditor‐in‐chiefmovedtoColoradobeforeshe’d
evenhadherfirstdayonthejob,noticedthat,becauseabsolutelyanybodycould
25
postanythingonthewebsite,thePostwasn’tgettingthetypeofstories,ortheweb
traffic,ithadhopeditwasgoingtowhenitfirstlaunched.
“Itookoverabouteightmonthsintothewebsiteandoriginallymostofthe
contentwasrepostedpressreleases,politicalrants,theoccasionalreallygood
usefulstory,butmostofittherewasreallynoconcisemissionwhenyoulookedat
thecontent,”shesaid.“SowhenIcameonboardIwantedtobringalittlemore
seriousnewstothesiteandtrytogetfriendsthatIknowinAustinwhoIconsider
thoughtleadersorintelligentpeoplewhopayattentiontowhat’shappeningatthe
capitolorcityhall,orevenjustmusicandtheartsscenebutsomethingalittlemore
indepth.”
Underthenewleadership,thePostgotalittlenewsier.Meltzerconvinced
BrightonandLiemandttoletherhireacoupleinternsandwebtrafficincreased,but
itstillwasn’tatthelevelsheortheguysatTrilogywerehopingfor.
“Afteraboutayearofnotgettingthetrafficwereallywanted,Iconvincedthe
investorstoletushirefiverealjournalists,”Meltzersaid.“They’redefinitelyyoung
rightoutofschoolsjournalists,butthey’rerealreportersandtheywouldprovide
kindoftheanchorcontentandwe’dstillallowthecitizenstocontribute.”
ErickPickhartz,oneoftheyoungjournaliststhePosthasrecentlyhired,said
he’shappytobeatthePost,butthathe’sstilluncertainaboutit’sfuture.
“Ididn’trealizeIwasgoingtobeabletofindsomethingthatallowedmeto
virtuallydowhatIwantedandhowIwantedtoandgetpaidforit,andactuallyhave
26
itshowupsomewhereinthepublicdomain.Ithinkmegettingpaidtodowhatalot
ofpeoplearedoingforfreethesedaysisamazing,”hesaid.“Atthesametime,we
don’tknowexactlyhowlongit’sgoingtolast.Wedon’tnecessarilyhaveafullgrasp
ofwhatreadersliketoreadthemostandwhatismosteffectiveinourjournalistic
practices.
“It’sdifficult,Iwouldimagineinanyvenueorentity,butbecausewedon’t
haveawholelotofmoneyit’salittlemoredifficult.Weareayoungenthusiastic
group,butwedon’thavethegenerationsofexperienceotherplacesmighthave.”
TheadditionofanactualstaffofwritersputsthePostalittlemoreinthe
sameveinasProPublicaandtheTexasTribune,butMeltzerisquicktopointout
somekeydifferences.
“TheircontentistailoredjustforinsidersinTexasPolitics,”shesaid,
referringtotheTribune.“EveryarticlehastodowithTexaspoliticsand
government.It’snotgeneralinterestcontent.Mostoftheirreadersarelegislators
andstaffers,politicalconsultants,lobbyists,interestgroupsandjudges,lawyersand
thatwholescenearoundthecapitol.Soyou’renotgoingtofindoutanythingabout
musicorstyle.
“Theyhaveaverydifferentmissionandtheydon’tallowanycitizencontent.
Theirstaffersdoindepthinvestigativepiecesandtheywriteblogposts.”
27
Forinstance,Pickhartzpredominantlycoverssports,atopicunlikelyto
appearintheTribuneanytimesoon,andpointstostoriesonthegeneralactive
lifestyleofAustinitesassomeofhisfavoritestories.
“It’sthesimpleones,whenIjusthappentorunintosomebody,”hesaid.“For
example,Iwasdrivinginmyneighborhoodandcameacrossoneofthoseguyswill
thosehugetallbikes,soIjustpulledover,ranafterhim,andaskedhimifIcouldask
himafewquestions.
“It’sthattypeofthingthatisquicklybecomingmyfavorite.JustwhenI
stumbleacrosssomethingandit’sunique,itfitsAustin,andit’salsoupmyalley.And
everybody’salwayssoniceaboutit.“
ButthefactthatthePostisgeneralinterestandnotanichepublicationlike
theTribuneisn’ttheonlydifferenceinthetwo.Besidesbeingatleastpartiallyopen‐
sourced,theAustinPostoperatesonatinybudgetcomparedtotheTribune,anda
downrightminisculeonecomparedtoProPublica.
“Becauseit’sanonprofitallofourfundingcomesfromthesoftwarecompany
TrilogyEnterprises,”Meltzersaid.Thereisnoadvertisingrevenue,nomembership
revenue;thereisonlywhatBrighton,LiemandtandTrilogyprovide.
Whichisn’tmuch,atleastcomparedtothePosts’biggernonprofit
counterparts.
28
“TheTexasTribunehasahugebudget,”saidMeltzer.“Iknowthat,whenthey
firstlaunched,IthinkthenumberscameoutthatEvanSmiththeeditorinchiefwas
makingover$300grand.Thereportersweremaking$80to$100grand.”
TherearenosuchsalariesattheAustinPost.
“Oursitehasatinybudget,”saidMeltzer.“Ouryearlybudgetislessthan
EvanSmith’ssalary.Beforewetookonwritersitwasabout$200,000peryear.That
includesdesignwork,mysalary,marketing,andpartiesoreventswedo,thetech
support,allthatstuff.AllthatislessthanEvanSmith’ssalary.”
Theadditionofthenewwriters,fiveofthemat$500perweek,haspushed
thePost’sbudgetuptoaround$300,000,buteventhat’snowherenearthe
Tribune’sbudget.
Havinglesscash,Meltzeradmits,doesresultinfewerresourcesandlower‐
qualityjournalismthanonemightexpectfromtheTribune.
“Wedefinitelydon’thavethesamelevelofjournalismbecausewedon’thave
thesamefundingtohirereporterswhohavePulitzerprizes,”shesaid,butpointsto
theorganization’srecenthiresasastepintherightdirection.
29
Figure3:Comparativegraphoforganizations’annualbudgetsaccordingtostated
figuresfromProPublica,TexasTribuneandAustinPost.
0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
ProPublica TexasTribune AustinPost
AnnualBudget
AnnualBudget
30
“Ithinkthattheyarenotafraidtogooutanddoreporting.Theydon’ttryto
writestoriesofftwitterwithoutleavingtheircomputer,”shesaid.“JackieStone,the
politicalreporter,hasdonesomereallyinterestingworkatcityhall.She’sthere
everyweek.ShegoestoeveryAustinISDbudgetmeeting.Shedoesareallygoodjob
ofwhittlingdowncomplicatedstuff.
“TheStatesmanmightwriteitasareallylongpieceandshe’lldothetop10
thingsyouneedtoknowabouttheAISDbudget.Itdoesn’tdumbitdown,butit’sa
littlemoreofawebstyle.”
MeltzeralsosaidstylereporterMicheleSavage‐Menaandartsreporter
GabinoIglesiashaveturnedoutsomeverystrongreporting.
“Ourfoodandstylereporterhasdoneareallygoodjoboffindingdeeper
stories.She’lldosomefunlightstoriesaboutfashion,butshe’llalsodoastoryabout
howthedroughtisaffectinglocalfarmers,”shesaid.“AndGabino’scoveringaside
oftheartscommunitythat’sreallynotcoveredasmuch,likelocalhorrorauthors
andburlesque.It’ssomereallycoolundertheradarstuff.
“They’rereallycreativeandI’mtryingtogetthemtocoverstuffthatnot
manyotherpeoplearecoveringbecauseit’skindofasaturatedmarket.”
ThewaytheAustinPostissetupalsoallowsittosidesteponeofthepitfalls
ofbeingbackedbyprivateinvestorslikeHerbandMarionSandler,JohnThornton
or,inthePost’scase,Brighton,LiemandtandTrilogy.
31
“That’sthethingaboutbeingusergeneratedisletssaysomeonethoughtwe
hadtoomuchcontentthathadaliberalbias,whichhappensinAustinwhenyou’re
usergeneratedbecause,let’sfaceit,therearealotmoredemocratsthanthereare
republicanshere,”saidMeltzer.“Wellifarepublicanwasangryaboutthat,they
couldgowritetheirownarticleandgetalltheirfriendstowritearticlessothe
contentcangetbalancedout.”
Besidesthatfactthough,MeltzersaidthattheinvestorsatTrilogyarevery
detachedfromthegoings‐onatthePostanyway.
“Thankfully,myboss,IguessyoucouldsayisScottBrightonatTrilogy,I
don’treallyknowhispoliticalviewsandhedoesn’twriteforthesite,”saidMeltzer.
“He’snevercommentedononearticleotherthanmaybe‘ohIlikethatguy’sstyle.’
Hehasnointerestinwhetherwehaveapoliticalslant.”
SotheAustinPosthasbeenabletobuildasmallfollowingasahyper‐local
onlinenonprofitnewsorganization.Its917“likes”onFacebookaren’tquiteasmuch
astheTexasTribune’s14,012orProPublica’s16,473,butneitheristhePost’s
annualbudget.It’sscopeisfarsmallerthanProPublica’s(national)ortheTribune’s
(statewide)aswell,soperhapsjustunder1000isappropriate.
“We'llneverhavethespectaculargrowththatlargemoneyenables,suchas
whatTexasTribunewasabletodrive,”saidBrighton.“ButwhatfundsTTfora
quarterwouldfundusfor10years.Wehavelotsofrunwaytoexperiment,grow,
andgetbetter.”
32
TherealquestioniswhetherornottheAustinPostcouldsomedayserveasa
modelofsustainableonlinenonprofitjournalism.Theanswertothatquestionis,at
themoment,no.
“IfwebrokefromTrilogy,we’dhavetogetdonationsfrompeople,”Meltzer
said.“OrI’dhavetotakeoutabigloanandrunitmyself.”
ThePosthasnoadvertisingrevenueandnomembershipstocreatecash
flow.ItreliesentirelyuponthewhimsofBrighton,LiemandtandTrilogy.While
havingcontentthatisentirelyuser‐generatesisanovelideathatmightbe
promisingintermsofcreatingwebtrafficandeliminating,oratleastbalancing,
biasedreporting,itwouldalsobeentirelycontradictorytomoneymaking.
“Nonprofitsdon’tgettoputuptheirownads.Theyhaveapagewherethey
thanktheirsponsors.Butyouwouldn’thaveagiantadfromFrostbank,”Meltzer
said.“It’dbekindoflikeonNPRwheretheNPRpeoplesay‘supportforNPRcomes
from’buttheydon’thaveanactualad.Youdon’tgettohaveanactualcommercial.
Trilogyhassaidthatifwegottowheretheythoughtweweregoodenoughtoask
forthatthenwewould,butfornowtheywantmoretraffic.”
ThePostcouldlikelydrivewebtraffictothepointthatadvertisingwouldbe
profitableforanyotherwebsitethatwasn’tusergenerated.But,there’snoreason
whyanadvertiserwouldwanttopayforanadonanopen‐sourcewebsitewhen
theycouldsimplywriteandsubmitanarticleextollingthevirtuesofwhatever
producttheymightbepeddling.
33
Memberships,liketheTribuneimplements,wouldalsolikelyprovefutileas
wellasthere’sstillnotenoughoriginalreportingontheAustinPosttomerit
someonebuyingone.
Nonetheless,theAustinPostisafascinatingforayintotherealmofonline
nonprofitjournalismandonethatcouldbemoreeasilyreplicableinnumerous
citiesthanahigh‐investmenteffortlikeProPublicaortheTexasTribune.Infact,a
for‐profitmodelofhyper‐localonlinejournalism,Patch.com,hasbeenaroundsince
2007and,aftera$50millioninvestmentfromparentcompanyAOL,hasspreadto
over800townsin18statesandtheDistrictofColumbia.xxvi
UnlikethePost,Patchisn’topen‐sourced,allowingforadvertisingdollarsto
flowin,butconsistsoflocaleditorsintownsacrossthecountryhiringsmallcrews
offreelancewriterstocoverissuesthatpertaintothelocalcommunity.Butit
remainstobeseenifthismodelissustainableeither,certainlynotwithout$50
millionfromAOL.
Objectively,thePostcouldbesustainableinthat,iftheoperatingcosts
remainlow,itmightbeworthitforacompanylikeTrilogytokeepitaround,ifonly
asataxwrite‐off.
“Rightnowforthemitisataxwriteoff,”Meltzersaid.“It’snotmakingthem
anyrevenue,buttheymakeenoughmoneyfromotheravenuesthattheydon’treally
needtheAustinPosttomakemoney.”
34
That’snotthetypeofsustainabilityonewouldgenerallythinkof,butitcould
beenoughtokeepanorganizationlikethePostaroundforagoodlongwhile.
“That'swhatwe'retrying,”saidBrighton.“Wekeepourinvestmentmodest
sothereisnorevenuepressureonthebusiness,andwe'reallowingittogrow
slowlyandorganicallyovertime.It'sworkingsofar.”
iAuditBureauofCirculations,ConsolidatedMediaReportfortheDallasMorningNews,http://www.accessabc.com/pdfs/dallascmr.pdfiiHuffpostMedia,NewspaperCirculationDown5Percent,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/25/newspaper‐circulation‐dow_0_n_773362.html#s164307&title=1_Wall_StreetiiiRobertW.McChesney,“ThecrisisofjournalismandtheInternet,”NewsOnline:TransformationsandContinuities,ed.GrahamMeikleandGuyRedden(NewYork,NY:PalgraveMacmillan,2011)53‐68ivPewResearchCenter,TheStateoftheNewsMedia2011,http://stateofthemedia.org/vPewResearchCenter,TheStateoftheNewsMedia2011,NewsbytheNumbers,http://stateofthemedia.org/2011/newspapers‐essay/data‐page‐6/viProPublica.org,AboutUs,http://www.ProPublica.org/about/viiPhoenix.edu,ProPublica:InvestigativeJournalismorLiberalSpin?,http://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/media‐center/fact‐checker/ProPublica‐Investigative‐Journalism‐or‐Liberal‐Spin.htmlviiiJackShafer,WhatDoHerbertandMarionSandlerWant?,http://www.slate.com/id/2175942/,Oct.5,2007ixPBS.org,NonprofitGroupsFinancingIndependentJournalism,http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan‐june08/mediamodel_06‐24.htmlxProPublica.org,PulitzerPrizeinInvestigativeReporting:DeadlyChoicesatMemorial,http://www.ProPublica.org/awards/item/pulitzer‐prize‐in‐investigative‐reporting‐deadly‐choices‐at‐memorial/xiRobertEisenhart,ProPublicascoresbigwithPulitzerPrize,http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2010/04/ProPublica_scores_big_with_pulitizer_pri.phpxiiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xiiiKevinBrass,TheAustinChronicle,“MediaWatch:‘ASenseofPurpose,’”http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2009‐10‐30/901866/xivInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalism,2010SymposiumTranscripts,http://online.journalism.utexas.edu/transcripts.php?year=2010
35
xvJohnThornton,interview,April2,2011xviWashingtonPost,TexassizeTest,http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110102053_pf.htmlxviiOpenSecrets.org,http://www.opensecrets.org/usearch/index.php?q=John+Thornton&searchButt.x=0&searchButt.y=0&searchButt=Submit&cx=010677907462955562473%3Anlldkv0jvam&cof=FORID%3A11#885xviiiTexasPolitics,“ThoseDonationsfromTexasTribunefounderJohnThornton,”http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2009/07/those_donations.htmlxixInsomniactive,AndNow,aWordfromEvanAboutWiccans,http://insomniactive.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/and‐now‐a‐word‐from‐evan‐about‐wiccans/xxJohnThornton,InternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalismpresentation,April2,2011xxiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xxiiJohnThornton,interview,April2,2011xxiiiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xxivChristopherCalnan,AustinBusinessJournal,TexasTribune’sEarlyPerformanceMixed,http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/print‐edition/2011/03/11/texas‐tribunes‐early‐revenue‐stout‐but.htmlxxvTrilogy,Management,http://www.trilogy.com/management.phpxxviVerneG.Kopytoff,NewYorkTimes,AOLBestsonHyperlocalNews,FindingProgressWhereManyHaveFailed,http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/business/media/17local.html
36
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40
Vita
Joseph Abel Holloway graduated from Marshall High School in 2005.
Afterwards,heenteredBaylorUniversity inWaco,Texas.HereceivedaBachelor’s
of Journalism degree in May 2009 and enrolled in the Graduate School at the
University ofTexas atAustin inAugust 2009.Hehasworked as awriter, graphic
designerandmultimediajournalist.
Email:[email protected]
Thisreportwastypedbytheauthor.