In episode 46, we talk to Sameer Padania about Philanthropy & Journalism. We ask why the media is looking to philanthropy as a source of funding; why philanthropic funders are interested in supporting journalism; and what challenges and opportunities this might bring. Including:

• Why has journalism come to the attention of funders and philanthropists recently?
• How are funders and CSOs using journalism to further their causes?
• How many funders see journalism and a free press as an important public good in and of themselves, and are thus willing to fund general journalism?
• What role could philanthropic funding for news media play in addressing problems like targeted online misinformation and the erosion of public discourse online?
• What should we make of the rise of non-profit newsrooms like ProPublica?
• Is the reader voluntary subscription model taken by the Guardian etc. is better than relying on a single major donor?
• What approaches are philanthropic funders taking to supporting news media?
• Is there a challenge in maintaining editorial independence when receiving philanthropic funding?
• Is the way in which philanthropic funding can take pressure off news media outlets to generate revenue a good thing, or is there a danger that it will lead to them losing focusing on what is of interest to an audience, and thus become less sustainable in the long term?
• Does philanthropic funding of news media undermine journalism's ability to hold philanthropy itself to account (as many feel it should)?
• Can ownership of news outlets exacerbate the distorting effect that philanthropy already has on democracy?
• Is there a danger that in encouraging philanthropic support for news media, we make journalism a "charity case" and thus undermine people's willingness to pay for it in the long term?

Related links

• Sameer's paper for Ariadne Network "An Introduction to Funding Journalism and Media"
• A recent report from the Reuters Institute on "Polarisation and the News Media"
• The paper by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and Richard Fletcher questioning the truth of online filter bubbles: "Are People Incidentally Exposed to News on Social Media? A Comparative Study"
• My Alliance magazine article (co-authored with my significantly better half, Fran Yeoman) on why "Philanthropy should fund the media for its own sake"
• The Cairncross Review