From the editor
Søren Kierkegaard is enjoying something of a surge in popularity, thanks in part to a new biography and in part to the peculiar suitability of his ideas to our quarantined times. “The more you limit yourself, the more resourceful you become” is one of the Danish thinker’s maxims that has taken on fresh relevance.
Newsrooms are nothing if not limited these days—by longstanding financial and more recent political challenges that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus. But even as the pandemic has forced furloughs, layoffs, and closures, the industry is creatively exploring new funding models that could lead to a more sustainable future, especially at the local level. We explore four of them: monetization, philanthropy, taxing tech platforms, and public funding.
The pandemic is prompting creativity in coverage, too. Limited to virtual events and Zoom fundraisers, campaign reporters are augmenting stories about who is running for office with stories about how the elections themselves are run. Our story on the current state of election coverage shows how Covid-19 is improving reporting on crucial ballot access issues.
After the virus put a stop to in-person interviews for Mary Louise Schumacher’s “This is Milwaukee” project, an effort to explore and document questions around citizenship and democracy, she and her partner started convening locals online, resulting in unexpected journalistic and community benefits—and providing a powerful example of creative ways to address the limits of pandemic reporting.
Sincerely,
James Geary
Editor, Nieman Reports
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