Impact Investment for journalism: How News Organizations and Impact Financing Need to Come Together

Journalism is a viable impact investment case—not by clinging to the mission of “saving journalism,” but by focusing on solving specific information gaps in communities.

Legacy media struggles with unprecedented challenges—disappearing business models, layoffs, and newsroom closures—our liberal democracy is simultaneously under attack: by fake news, hostile propaganda, right-wing populism, and the unknown implications of artificial intelligence.

There is no silver-bullet revenue model for journalism. Advertising is insufficient and often unhealthy. Membership models require scale and operational capacity. And while philanthropic funding has played a vital role, it is reaching its limits. If journalism is to thrive, not merely survive, we need new business models—and we need to finance their scale and resilience.

Discover how we can and need to empower a new generation of journalism startups with private capital—and why impact investing and media innovation are a perfect match for nurturing social innovation, education, climate protection, social cohesion and democracy afterall.

As John Palfrey, President of the MacArthur Foundation, put it:
“Whatever your first funding topic is: Journalism should be your second.”