Over the past decade and a half, a generation of digital media outlets, including BuzzFeed News, Vox, Gawker, Vice, and Business Insider, all emerged with ambitious goals to harness the power of the internet to reinvent journalism.
Today, BuzzFeed News and Gawker are gone. Vice filed for bankruptcy. Others have made deep staffing cuts.
Some are calling it the “end of an era” for digital journalism.
Here at The Intercept, we’re navigating these troubled waters while continuing to produce the groundbreaking investigative reporting we’re known for. Fortunately, our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t depend on the whims of advertisers and megacorporations. But we’re still not immune to a broader decline in news readership that is squeezing the entire industry.
To make it to the other side, we’re counting on the continued growth of our membership program, the more than 100,000 Intercept readers who have shown their support for independent investigative journalism by donating some of their hard-earned money to power our work.
That’s the base of support we depend on to plan challenging investigations and know that we can follow the truth no matter where it leads us.
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Let’s be clear: The Intercept is not exempt from the market forces that have caused so many of our colleagues in digital news to shut down.
One big challenge is rising costs. Just like everyone else, we’ve seen everything get more expensive in recent years, making it more difficult for us to make big investments in long-term deep-dive investigations.
Another serious obstacle is that social media algorithms have changed in ways that make it harder for new readers to find The Intercept and other quality news outlets. Instead, these companies are steering users toward a “friendly” experience of family and celebrity updates.
But make no mistake: Despite these challenges, we remain bullish about the future of our independent journalism.
And one reason for our optimism is the amazing generosity of our members, the community of committed readers who financially support our mission and goals. Every donation helps ensure that we can survive booms and busts and continue taking the fight to the powerful each day.
To help keep The Intercept strong and independent, now and well into the future, will you donate $5?
