ponto
October 14th, 2006, 11:38 PM
The decision to find outside funding has put some newspapers on the cutting edge of an industry-wide wave of change as cash-strapped newspapers, facing increased Internet competition, explore new revenue sources beyond the traditional advertising and circulation streams.
"The old business model of just having advertisers and readers fund journalism is giving way to a new model where news organizations go to philanthropic and other groups to subsidize watchdog projects," said Tom Rosenstiel, a former Los Angeles Times reporter who founded the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research center that monitors the performance of the press.
Public TV and radio networks have long used money from a broad array of foundations to finance their documentaries and other news reports, but the practice is more recent in print journalism.
"It would be better if it didn't happen, but the old model does seem to be giving way," Rosenstiel said.
"The old business model of just having advertisers and readers fund journalism is giving way to a new model where news organizations go to philanthropic and other groups to subsidize watchdog projects," said Tom Rosenstiel, a former Los Angeles Times reporter who founded the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research center that monitors the performance of the press.
Public TV and radio networks have long used money from a broad array of foundations to finance their documentaries and other news reports, but the practice is more recent in print journalism.
"It would be better if it didn't happen, but the old model does seem to be giving way," Rosenstiel said.