SoloJourno

This is a special report which was included in the Pew Project’s The State of the News Media 2009 (previously covered here):

As revenues and resources at traditional news outlets continued to decline, a number of independent new ventures have emerged, often led and staffed by refugees of the mainstream press.

These new sites vary in how they create content, the type of news they focus on and in how they fund their operations. Some are nonprofits; others have been given start-up money with the expectation of becoming self-sustaining; still others are full for-profit entities. Some cover very local news, others report globally and still others focus on niche areas such as health or science.

But one feature they all share is original reporting meant to fill what they see as an expanding void in what mainstream media now offer.

These ventures are a new feature of American journalism worth watching. For now, our sense is that they represent something complementary to the traditional news media, much in the way that an alternative weekly and city magazine complement, enrich and broaden the journalism in a given city. Yet something new is going on here that could grow beyond that.

What follows is a listing of some of the larger-scale ventures. Most began in 2008 but some started earlier and gained more solid footing during the year. We do not attempt to list all such undertakings here, but strive to touch upon the scope of what exists. We invite readers to alert us to other innovations.

Read the rest of this report.