Sahara reporters
ally impressed by this journalist website ‘Sahara Reporters’ – http://saharareporters.com
– having heard their founder Omoyele Sowore speaking recently on UK media.
They’re a Nigerian news website based in the US who focus on citizen journalism and getting ordinary people to write and create reports about issues such as corruption and bad political management.
Their big break-throughs have included being the first website to get a picture of the Christmas Day ‘Underpants Bomber’, and they ran well-sourced articles about the health of former President Yar-Adua before he died in 2010.
I’m particulary interested in their funding streams – the issue facing all media organisations, large or small is how to fund comprehensive investigative journalism when so few news consumers seem willing to pay for it. As well as advertisements and individual donations, it relies on grants from organisations such as the Ford Foundation.
I’m impressed that they seem to be using that money wisely and maintaining their editorial independence which is key when trying out new funding sources.