I love this idea, Elle. The idea of taking back the power is always welcome in my books.
I feel like it would need to have some kind of social media behind it with a strong algorithm to really get enough people drawn to the platform. Media and social media tend to go hand in hand. Is that something you would incorporate?
Perhaps, right now I think Substack is doing a pretty good job at it, but I'm following other case studies as well. It's worth noting that I don't need to build all of these things myself, but I want to be part of the ecosystem that is, and to contribute to it all in my own way!
I love the willingness to disrupt the status quo. It can’t hurt.
And for those who are self aware enough, your options would help keep ones sanity.
I suspect the challenge for others who have tried is pushing against the reptilian brain and our wiring to be hyper conscious of what is wrong so we can avoid danger. Leading to more and more sensational news stories instead of non stress inducing factual information
I am with you and would desperately love to see your version of a news source and as a fellow writer see publishing also ripe for disruption
"Legion M partners with creators - from independent filmmakers to big Hollywood studios - to produce movies, TV shows, VR experiences and more. We provide development support, financial backing, marketing muscle and, most importantly, fan engagement and monetization."
I don't know! Right now I'm using Substack and Metalabel and WeFunder, and they've all been interesting to experiment with. But I'm also curious to experiment with other models. Like a Substack mixed with a Metalabel or a WeFunder mixed with a Metalabel!
Hey Elle! This one made me think of Solutions Journalism Network. They are a non-profit that has been training journalists to shift journalism towards positive (depolarizing, community-building, solutions focused) stories for maybe a decade or so.
They have a very big network of journalists who want to write these stories, but are sometimes strangled by their newsrooms. Sounds like a good problem for your solution.
Might be good to get in touch with them if you are not already.
I think you can do better than Musk did at hitting those goals :-)
Very interesting—looks like it's a database for solutions-oriented journalism? I wonder why they don't combine all of these sources to create a publication? Either way, I love the resource, thanks for sharing it with me! And yes, I promise to not go off the wall with my goals at some point. Worst case scenario I stop at #1 😆
From what I gather, their focus is to shift the culture within existing newsrooms and news organizations, rather than to build a competing model. A slow and difficult slog to be sure, but they've had a good deal of success.
We have many news sources out there already. Some of them good. Why a news substack? For whom? What would a news substack look like? I'm guessing several models are possible, and the design depends on what exactly readers need from news. Lots of sources out there for the front end, for the news on the ground. We could do with more interpretation, with more depth, with more nuances of views. With a stated bias toward logic and science and honesty. Would there be many local versions, or a single mega-stack? Just thinking out loud here, but I'll watch for more here.
I'll answer your questions in order: I haven't found a news source I've liked. They are all too focused on the "day to day" stories when I want to understand the "overall." So I designed a news system for myself. I'm the only audience of this news source right now, but if it becomes something trustworthy for myself, I'll share it as a monthly newsletter for whoever else is interested in understanding the overall trends, and continue to fine tune it over time! I'll share a draft with my subscribers once I have it!
Thanks, looking forward to it. Right now I just subscribe (free and paid) to a number of authors that add some depth to the news. I like the substack payment model, where we are once again the customer, not the product.
Me too, and I subscribe to some Substacks like that too, but I still feel like I'm only seeing one story or two, and not the overarching picture of what these stories are part of. I want a wider lens on the world. But we'll see how it goes!
I've been wanting to create an infrastructure for local news coverage that combines local reporters, AI and a stable of editors that work in multiple markets. Would love to talk with you further if that fits your mission.
Very interesting. I'm actually interested in the opposite. Not the everyday things happening at the local level, but the overarching things happening at the global level. I feel like I'm getting lost in the "day-to-day" which is distracting me from the "overall" if that makes sense.
The challenge is that there is a lot of corruption at the local level — the place where housing costs and roads and crime and homelessness is most likely to affect you — but there are far, far fewer eyes on it.
That's true, and we need that too. But the places where it affects us is also very top of mind. I don't think it's hard to follow local news where I live, and we can see it which helps!
Rather than following Musk's "simple plan" that helped elect an autocrat out to "robin hood" the poor and give more to the rich, maybe there is something better...
I don't know like loving your neighbor...
Efforts to share only "good news" sound to me suspiciously like Trump rewriting slavery out of our history.
I have no desire to share only good news. I just want to understand all news, not just the most sensational news. And I certainly have no plans to follow Elon’s career trajectory, just the way he formatted a one paragraph business plan!
Elle...I understand...forgive me for venting a bit at your expense...I can tell you have a good heart and will support your efforts in whatever small ways I can
I just joined the paid community on the strength of this. Right now I'm helping reinvent publishing, and I'm interested in seeing something similar happen with moviemaking. Onward, Elle!
No, the NYT should not be dreaming up solutions. The job of the NYT is to cover the news. That's why I subscribe to them.
Sure, their OpEds can offer analysis and solutions etc. but I don't want them to tell us what we need to do. I want us to be informed citizens and then decide on our own what we want to do with that information.
We need news, but too much of our media is news! We have plenty of reporting on what's going wrong, and not enough thinking through how we could improve it!
Penguin IS publishing Sarah Wilson's Collapse Book - that's a good start
Very excited about that!
I love this idea, Elle. The idea of taking back the power is always welcome in my books.
I feel like it would need to have some kind of social media behind it with a strong algorithm to really get enough people drawn to the platform. Media and social media tend to go hand in hand. Is that something you would incorporate?
Perhaps, right now I think Substack is doing a pretty good job at it, but I'm following other case studies as well. It's worth noting that I don't need to build all of these things myself, but I want to be part of the ecosystem that is, and to contribute to it all in my own way!
Oh yes, good point!
I love the willingness to disrupt the status quo. It can’t hurt.
And for those who are self aware enough, your options would help keep ones sanity.
I suspect the challenge for others who have tried is pushing against the reptilian brain and our wiring to be hyper conscious of what is wrong so we can avoid danger. Leading to more and more sensational news stories instead of non stress inducing factual information
I am with you and would desperately love to see your version of a news source and as a fellow writer see publishing also ripe for disruption
This group has crowdfunded several projects.
https://legionm.com/
"Legion M partners with creators - from independent filmmakers to big Hollywood studios - to produce movies, TV shows, VR experiences and more. We provide development support, financial backing, marketing muscle and, most importantly, fan engagement and monetization."
VERY interesting, thanks for sharing this with me!!! Reminds me of Angel Studios, which is similar!
"eventually need to create custom funding platform to accomplish this"
The proliferation of creator/crowd/subscription funding platforms are dizzying already... Is there a one funding platform to rule them all? 🤔
I don't know! Right now I'm using Substack and Metalabel and WeFunder, and they've all been interesting to experiment with. But I'm also curious to experiment with other models. Like a Substack mixed with a Metalabel or a WeFunder mixed with a Metalabel!
I absolutely & unconditional applaud your optimism & drive to reshape an entire sector. Go go go!! 💪💪
Thanks John, I appreciate that!
Hey Elle! This one made me think of Solutions Journalism Network. They are a non-profit that has been training journalists to shift journalism towards positive (depolarizing, community-building, solutions focused) stories for maybe a decade or so.
They have a very big network of journalists who want to write these stories, but are sometimes strangled by their newsrooms. Sounds like a good problem for your solution.
Might be good to get in touch with them if you are not already.
I think you can do better than Musk did at hitting those goals :-)
Very interesting—looks like it's a database for solutions-oriented journalism? I wonder why they don't combine all of these sources to create a publication? Either way, I love the resource, thanks for sharing it with me! And yes, I promise to not go off the wall with my goals at some point. Worst case scenario I stop at #1 😆
From what I gather, their focus is to shift the culture within existing newsrooms and news organizations, rather than to build a competing model. A slow and difficult slog to be sure, but they've had a good deal of success.
We have many news sources out there already. Some of them good. Why a news substack? For whom? What would a news substack look like? I'm guessing several models are possible, and the design depends on what exactly readers need from news. Lots of sources out there for the front end, for the news on the ground. We could do with more interpretation, with more depth, with more nuances of views. With a stated bias toward logic and science and honesty. Would there be many local versions, or a single mega-stack? Just thinking out loud here, but I'll watch for more here.
I'll answer your questions in order: I haven't found a news source I've liked. They are all too focused on the "day to day" stories when I want to understand the "overall." So I designed a news system for myself. I'm the only audience of this news source right now, but if it becomes something trustworthy for myself, I'll share it as a monthly newsletter for whoever else is interested in understanding the overall trends, and continue to fine tune it over time! I'll share a draft with my subscribers once I have it!
Thanks, looking forward to it. Right now I just subscribe (free and paid) to a number of authors that add some depth to the news. I like the substack payment model, where we are once again the customer, not the product.
Me too, and I subscribe to some Substacks like that too, but I still feel like I'm only seeing one story or two, and not the overarching picture of what these stories are part of. I want a wider lens on the world. But we'll see how it goes!
Congrats!
I've been wanting to create an infrastructure for local news coverage that combines local reporters, AI and a stable of editors that work in multiple markets. Would love to talk with you further if that fits your mission.
Very interesting. I'm actually interested in the opposite. Not the everyday things happening at the local level, but the overarching things happening at the global level. I feel like I'm getting lost in the "day-to-day" which is distracting me from the "overall" if that makes sense.
The challenge is that there is a lot of corruption at the local level — the place where housing costs and roads and crime and homelessness is most likely to affect you — but there are far, far fewer eyes on it.
That's true, and we need that too. But the places where it affects us is also very top of mind. I don't think it's hard to follow local news where I live, and we can see it which helps!
I'm skeptical...
Rather than following Musk's "simple plan" that helped elect an autocrat out to "robin hood" the poor and give more to the rich, maybe there is something better...
I don't know like loving your neighbor...
Efforts to share only "good news" sound to me suspiciously like Trump rewriting slavery out of our history.
I have no desire to share only good news. I just want to understand all news, not just the most sensational news. And I certainly have no plans to follow Elon’s career trajectory, just the way he formatted a one paragraph business plan!
Elle...I understand...forgive me for venting a bit at your expense...I can tell you have a good heart and will support your efforts in whatever small ways I can
Oh of course I understand!!!
Better book publisher and better studio are exciting ideas!
I just joined the paid community on the strength of this. Right now I'm helping reinvent publishing, and I'm interested in seeing something similar happen with moviemaking. Onward, Elle!
Thanks Marty!
Congratulations, Elle! This is huge 👏
Thanks Claudia!
Tesla? Let’s not follow Elon’s lead on anything.
Step 1: Build a half decent car
Step 2: Build a worse car
Step 3: build a cyber truck?
Step 4: do a LOT Of ketamine
Step 5: become a total fascist who helped destroy American democracy.
The model is still useful, separated from the personality!
The plan was brilliant and different
The execution deviated from the plan. IMHO
Yeah. Nope.
It's definitely possible to follow the way someone formats a one-paragraph business plan, and not the way they become an oligarch.
I’ll file it under “good for you not for me.“
There are some people that are so terrible, that I don’t think we should elevate anything they’ve done.
Elon Musk now falls into that category for me.
No, the NYT should not be dreaming up solutions. The job of the NYT is to cover the news. That's why I subscribe to them.
Sure, their OpEds can offer analysis and solutions etc. but I don't want them to tell us what we need to do. I want us to be informed citizens and then decide on our own what we want to do with that information.
We need news, but too much of our media is news! We have plenty of reporting on what's going wrong, and not enough thinking through how we could improve it!
Congratulations on the OSV grant, Elle! And here is to a better ecosystem for media distribution!
Have you read Science of Scaling? It nods to the question .. how can I do this in 6 months?
No I haven't, but thanks for the rec!!!!