(Annette Moser-Wellman)

In this blog, we've introduced some new models for on-line news. Perhaps one of the most visible advancements has been the plethora of investigative journalism sites growing on the Web. Since this expensive news function has been eviscerated from traditional news media budgets, Internet news sites have flourished. Largely funded by philanthropy, investigative reporting has been enjoying a comeback.

Some sites, such as voiceofsandiego.org and San Francisco's public-press.org, seek to bring hard core news stories to their local communities. Largely funded by individual and institutional philanthropy, their mission is to illuminate issues of local importance. These sites are fighting it out on the battlefield of the Web, casting for eyeballs wherever they can find them.

Another model is being created by an organization called ProPublica. Rather than an individual city focus, ProPublica produces investigative journalism in the public interest that is national in scope. They create in-depth stories that highlight concerns such as the Treasury Department bailout. They produce data-rich analyses of the Obama administrations' stimulus package. But what makes the site unique is that these stories don't just live on their site, they are also shared and distributed by popular media. ProPublica partners with larger outlets like the LA Times and the New York Times. Even Slate and Salon co-produce and distribute their content.

"We are in business to make change. We value our stories for the fact that they have impact." Richard Tofel, General Manager of ProPublica, said of the partnership approach to investigative journalism. "I think there is no question that if you want to change the government of California tomorrow, change something in California tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times is still the number one place through which to do that." By partnering with what some may call competitive outlets, ProPublica garners a larger audience for their stories. "Partnering gets you much greater prominence," Tofel explained.

ProPublica is funded by a foundation established by Herbert and Marion Sandler, who have a passion for investigative journalism. "They saw the decline in the amount or resources being devoted to investigative journalism and thought it was a problem for a democratic society," Tofel said.Through a relationship with Paul Steiger, then the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and now Editor-in-Chief of ProPublica, the Sandlers sought to hire experienced talent in the industry and pay them market salaries.

Tofel believes this talent base is in part what allows ProPublica to put out major stories on an exclusive basis with partners. "Our ability to place these stories with partners is a real market test that is pretty unusual in the philanthropic world. These publications don't need to take these stores, right? They will only take these stories if they are up to their standards," he said.

While ProPublica has been funded by large institutional philanthropy, they are now turning attention to how to raise other funding. Tofel is confident that the market for investigative journalism will continue to drive interest and will be of value.

ProPublica recently co-published a story with the New York Times Magazine that exposed the tragic events at Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Tofel believes gaining exposure for these types of important reporting advances the long term goals of ProPublica and journalism. According to Tofel, "Great stories have real impact. People still read them. People pay attention to them. Things change because of them."


Annette Moser-Wellman is President of Firemark, Inc., an innovation consultancy, and author of Six Competencies of the Next Generation News Organization and Running While The Earth Shakes: Creating An Innovation Strategy To Win In The Digital Age, both published by the Media Management Center.

This TechScout article is part of a series of Moser-Wellman interviews commissioned by the Media Management Center to explore opportunities and insights at the intersection of technology and the news media. Click here to view other articles in the TechScout series.

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