Copyright

by

JosephAbelHolloway

2011

TheReportCommitteeforJosephAbelHolloway

Certifiesthatthisistheapprovedversionofthefollowingreport:

NonprofitOnlineJournalism

andtheQuestforSustainability

APPROVEDBY

SUPERVISINGCOMMITTEE:

RenitaColeman

DavidGarlock

Supervisor:

NonprofitOnlineJournalism

andtheQuestforSustainability

by

JosephAbelHolloway,B.A.

Report

PresentedtotheFacultyoftheGraduateSchoolof

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin

inPartialFulfillment

oftheRequirements

fortheDegreeof

MasterofArts

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin

May2011

Dedication

Tomyfamily,friendsandteacherswhohaveneverceasedtobevaluedsourcesof

encouragementandsupport.

v

Acknowledgements

Theauthorgratefullyacknowledgesthetime,effortandassistanceofRenita

Coleman, David Garlock, Rosental Alves, Karie Meltzer, John Thornton and Jim

Moroney.

vi

Abstract

NonprofitOnlineJournalism

andtheQuestforSustainability

JosephAbelHolloway,M.A.

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,2011

Supervisors:RenitaColeman

Theauthorgivesan in‐depth look intononprofit journalism,particularly in

theformofonlinemedia.Thereportisdividedintofoursections.Thefirstsection

provides a general overview of the online nonprofit news landscape and a brief

discussion of why news organizations are looking to it as a possible model for

sustainable news in the future. The profiles of specific nonprofit online news

organizations begin with section two and an examination of ProPublica. Section

threelooksattheTexasTribune.SectionfourlooksattheAustinPost.

vii

TableofContents

ListofFigures ............................................................................................................................viii

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1

ProPublica ...................................................................................................................................... 4

TheTexasTribune....................................................................................................................13

TheAustinPost ..........................................................................................................................23

Bibliography................................................................................................................................36

Vita ...............................................................................................................................................40

viii

ListofFigures

Figure1:TheDeclineoftheNewsroomWorkforce..................................................... 6

Figure2:TheTribune's2011Budget...............................................................................18

Figure3:ComparativeGraphofOrganizations'AnnualBudgets ........................29

1

Introduction

JimMoroney,publisheroftheDallasMorningNews,spokeonApril12,2011

toagatheringofabout50peopleonthecampusoftheUniversityofTexasatAustin.

HehadflownfromDallasandcamestraighttoUT’scommunication’sbuildingto

giveaspeechonwhytheDallasMorningNews,oneofthelargestnewspapersinthe

countrywithaweekdaycirculationof263,810i,implementedapaywallonthe

paper’swebsiteonMarch8,2011.

Ofcourse,Moroneysaid“paywall”isn’thispreferredterminology.

“Wecallit‘subscribercontentinitiative,’”hesaid.“Ihatethetermpaywall.

Whowantsapaywall?Iwouldn’twantapaywallifitwasagoodthing.”

WhatevertheDallasMorningNewscallsit,thefactremains,ifareaderwants

toaccessanyoriginalcontentonthepaper’swebsite(columns,localreporting,

sports,prettymucheverythingthat’snotoffofanewswireservicelikethe

AssociatedPress),theywillnowhavetopurchaseasubscriptionpackage.

Theshortversionofwhyreadershavetopayfornewsthathas,until

recently,beenfreetoobtainonthewebisprettysimple:therejustaren’tenough

piecesofthepietogoaround.

“Whatthenewspapersthoughtwasthatiftheygrewbigaudiencesthey

wouldgetbigadrevenue,”saidMoroney.“That’swhathappenedwithtraditional

newspaperbusinessesuntilabout2000.

2

“Itwasaverysimpleformula.SothenewspapercompaniesofAmerica

thoughtwelllet’sgooutontheInternetwiththesehugeaudiences,becausethere

arenogeographicrestrictions,andwe’regoingtomakeawholelotmoremoney

online.”

Theproblemis,accordingtoMoroney,theDallasMorningNewsstandsto

makeabout$14.2millionfromit’swebsiteonadvertisingrevenuealoneifithas

100percentselloutofalladsanda$10costperthousand,whichisoptimisticbyhis

ownadmission.$14.2millionseemslikealotofmoney,butit’slessthanhalfofthe

$35milliontheDallasMorningNewsspendsonpeopleandresources,whichare

paramounttothereportingMoroneycalledessential.

“Itisthefreepressinthiscountrythatisdoinganimportantjobofwatching

outhowyourgovernmentisspendingyourmoneyandhowyourelectedofficials

areconductingthemselveswhileinoffice,”hesaid.“Unfortunatelyhistoryhas

taughtusthatpowerultimatelyisacorruptinginfluenceonsomanypeople.Ifthe

newspaperbusiness,notthenewspaper,I’mnottalkingaboutthephysicalproduct,

ifwecan’tsupportthescaleofthenewsroomsthatthesenewspapersareemploying

acrossthiscountry,we’regoingtolose,I’mgoingtoguess,halfofthejournalists

todaywhoarecoveringcity,countyandstategovernmentandthey’renotgoingto

bereplaced.”

Asthephysicalnewspapercontinuestolosepopularityii,for‐profitnews

organizationsaregoingtohavetofindnewrevenuestreamsinordertosurvive.

3

Traditionalnewsgroupsdon’tlastlongwithoutturningaprofit,soitwillbe

interestingtoseehowtheDallasMorningNews’experimentwithpaywallsplays

out.

But,whatiftryingtoturnaprofitwasexactlywhysomanytraditionalnews

organizationsarehavingtoscalebackorgooutofbusinessentirely?Whatif,inthis

ageoftheInternet,fast‐pacedmobilemediaandopencommunication,information

issupposedtobefree?

Ifthatwerethecase,thenanentirelydifferentbusinessmodelwouldbe

required,onethatwasabletofunctionwithoutsubscriptions,shareholders,etc.

Wouldsuchamodelbesustainableforanygreatamountoftime?

That’sthequestionmanynewnonprofitnewsorganizationsaretryingto

answer,withvaryingapproachestothenonprofitmodel.Thisreportprovidesan

examinationandevaluationofthreedifferentnonprofitnewsorganizationsthat

havelaunchedsince2008,andareallprimarilyonlinepublications(ProPublica,The

AustinPost,TheTexasTribune).Eachhasadifferentfocusandmethodology,butall

arenonprofitsattemptingtopioneernewwaysofcoveringnewsandgettingitto

theirreaders.

4

ProPublica

Areaderscanningthehomepagesofanyofthetop10newswebsitesonthe

Internetcaneasilyfindanumberofstoriesoncurrentworldevents.In2011,the

biggestheadlineshavepertainedtotheearthquakeandsubsequenttsunami

disasterbefallingJapan,uprisingsinLibyaandEgypt,andtheUnitedStates’

assassinationofOsamabinLaden.

Andrightlyso.

ThesituationinJapanwasshockingandtragic.Thesuccessfuluprising

againstadictatorialregimeinEgyptwasinspiring.TheongoinguprisingandU.S.

involvementinLibyaisacontinuingpointofconcern.ThedeathofOsamabinLaden

liftsaweightofftheshouldersofeveryAmerican,andiscertainlyoneofthebiggest

newsstoriesoftheyear.

Therewerealsotaxtips,articlesonhowtoloseweightbeforeswimsuittime,

thelatestfromtheNCAATournamentandthelatestobligatoryarticleonCharlie

Sheen’slatest“torpedooftruth.”

Areaderscanningthesehomepages,lookingforsomethingagooddealmore

indepth,aninvestigativepieceexposinggovernmentcorruptionorahardlookat

HurricaneKatrinalongafterthedisasterhasleftthefrontpages,wouldalmost

certainlybeoutofluck.

Thereasonisfairlysimple.

5

Investigativestoriesareexpensive,time‐consuming,couldleadtoevenmore

expensivelegalramificationsifastoryrunswithflawsandoftenjustdon’tpanout,

evenafteranewsorganizationhaspouredagooddealofmoneyintothem.Many

newsorganizationssimplydon’t(oratleastthinktheydon’t)havethefundsfor

suchstories.

AccordingtoRobertW.McChesney,journalistandprofessorattheUniversity

ofIllinoisatUrbana‐Champaign,“thecorruptionofjournalism,thedeclineof

investigativereporting,thedegenerationofpoliticalreportingandinternational

journalism,theabsurdhorseracecoverageofcampaigns,thecollapseoflocal

journalism,theincreasingprevalenceofcelebrityandscandalarenowroundly

acknowledgedbyallbuttheownersoflargemediafirmsandtheirhiredguns.”iii

Addtothatthefacttherearesimplyfewerreportersandtheoneswhodo

havejobsarestretchedthinjustcoveringthenewsoftheday.TheProjectfor

ExcellenceinJournalismatthePewResearchCenterfound1,000to1,500more

newsroomjobswerelostin2010inits“StateoftheMedia2011.”ivThat’snotasbad

astheapproximately5,200jobslostin2009orthe5,900jobslostin2008.But,ina

newsroomenvironmentthathaslost30percentofitsjobssince2000,it’sno

surpriseadeclineininvestigativereportingwouldfollowaswell.

6

Figure1:ThedeclineofthenewsroomworkforceaccordingtotheProjectfor

ExcellenceinJournalism’s“StateoftheMedia2011.”v

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

TotalNewsroomWorkforce

TotalNewsroomWorkforce

7

ThenonprofitnewsorganizationProPublica’swebsitedescribesthe

situationwell:

“Morethananyotherjournalisticform,investigativejournalismcanrequire

agreatdealoftimeandlabortodowell—andbecausethe‘prospecting’necessary

forsuchstoriesinevitablyyieldsasubstantialnumberof‘dryholes,’i.e.storiesthat

seempromisingatfirst,butultimatelyproveeitherlessinterestingorimportant

thanfirstthought,orevensimplyuntrueandthusunpublishable.Giventhese

realities,manynewsorganizationshaveincreasinglycometoseeinvestigative

journalismasaluxurythatcanbeputasideintougheconomictimes.”vi

ProPublicawaslaunchedintothisvoidofinvestigativejournalisminJanuary

of2008.

Intheorganization’sownwords,ProPublicais“anindependent,nonprofit

newsroomthatproducesinvestigativejournalisminthepublicinterest.”

ProPublica’s32‐memberteamwritestheorganization’sstories,sometimesalone

butoftenwithoneofitsmorethan50partnernewsorganizations,anddisseminates

themonitsownwebsiteorallowsthepartnerorganizationtopublishthemonline

orinprint.

“Eachstorywepublishisdistributedinamannerdesignedtomaximizeits

impact,”saystheProPublicawebsite.“Manyofour‘deepdive’storiesareoffered

exclusivelytoatraditionalnewsorganization,freeofcharge,forpublicationor

broadcast.Wepublished138suchstoriesin2009with38differentpartners.”

8

ProPublicawasthoughtupandisfinanciallybackedbyformerchief

executivesofGoldenWestFinancialCorporationHerbertandMarionSandler.Some

haveheraldedthegroupasthesaviorofinvestigativejournalism;othershave

writtenitoffforaperceivedliberalspin.

“ProPublicachurnsoutlittlemorethanleft‐winghitpiecesaboutSarahPalin

andblamestheU.S.governmentforgivingouttoolittleforeignaid,”saidone

opinionpiecebyCherylChumley,a2008‐09PhillipsFoundationRobertNovak

journalismfellow.“ProPublica’scoveragethusfarhashadadistinctlyliberal

bent.”vii

MuchoftheskepticismleveledatProPublicacomesasaresultofthe

financialbackinggivenbytheSandlers.Thecouple’snetworthwasestimatedby

Forbestobeabout$1.26billionin2006andtheyhavepledgedtogive$10million

tofundProPublicaannually.But,it’snotthemerefactthatthey’refundingan

investigativejournalismorganizationthatgeneratescriticismasmuchastheother

placestheysendtheirmoney.

Inrecentyears,they'vespentmillionsonpolitics.TheFederalElectionCommissiondatabaseshowsthetwoofthemgivinghundredsofthousandsofdollarstoDemocraticPartycampaigns.In2004,HerbertSandlergavetheMoveOn.orgVoterFund$2.5million,againaccordingtotheFECdatabase.TheCenterforResponsivePoliticsWebsitereportsdonationsof$8.5millionfromHerbertandMariontothe527groupCitizensforaStrongSenate,inthe2004cycle.CSSwasformedby"agroupofstrategistswithclosetiestoformerNorthCarolinaSen.JohnEdwards,"writesthewashingtonpost.com'sChrisCillizza.AmericanBankerreportedin2005thatHerbertalsogave$1milliontotheCaliforniastemcell

9

initiativeandthatthepairhavealsofundedtheprogressiveCenterforAmericanProgress.viii

BasedonwheretheSandlersaresendingtheirpoliticaldonations,onecan

easilysurmisewhichsideofthepoliticalfencetheyareon.Thequestionthen

becomeswhetherornotanonprofitnewsorganizationfundedalmostentirelyby

theliberalleaningcouplecanhopetomaintainanimpartialpositionwhendoingthe

investigativeworkitdeclaresisitssolepurpose.

Some,likeChumley,don’tthinkitcan.

“Moreinvestigativejournalism:Whocouldbeagainstit?Unfortunately,what

usedtobecalled‘muckraking’islikelytoproducelittlemorethanleft‐wingranting

andconservativebashing,”theWashingtonExaminerbloggersaidonthesubject.

“Onthebasisofwhat’sbeenproducedsofar,ProPublicawouldbebetterknownas

ProLiberal.”

Somearen’tquitesoabashedinvocalizingtheirconcerns,butstillhavethem.

“Philanthropists,especiallythosewhoearnedthefortunethey'regiving

away,tendnottodistributetheirmoneywithablindeyetotheresults.Howhappy

willtheybeifProPublicagorestheirsacredDemocraticcows?Ortakesthe"wrong"

positionontheirpetprojects:health,theenvironment,andcivilliberties?”Slate

writerJackShafersaidina2007articleprofilingtheSandlersbeforethelaunchof

ProPublica.”IfIwereanewspapereditorconsideringProPublicacopyforafuture

issue,thefirstthingI'dwantisproofofafirewallpreventingtheSandlersandother

fundersfrompicking—ornixing—thetargetsofitsprobes.”

10

ProPublicaeditor‐in‐chiefPaulSteigerhassaidhehadthesameworries

beforehetookthejob.TheformerWallStreetJournalmanagingeditorspokeinan

interviewwithJefferyBrownonPBS’“Newshour”ofanexchangehehadwiththe

Sandlersbeforehishiring.

“Comingintothis,whenItalkedtoHerbandMarionSandler,oneofmy

concernswaspreciselythisquestionofindependenceandnonpartisanship,”hesaid.

“Myhistoryhasbeendoing'downthemiddle'reporting.AndsowhenItalkedto

HerbandMarionIsaid'areyoucomfortablewiththat?'Theysaid'absolutely'.Isaid

'wellsupposewedidanexposeofsomeoftheleftleaningorganizationsthatyou

havesupportedorthatarefriendlytowhatyou'vesupportedinthepast'.Theysaid

'noproblem'.Andwhenwesetupourorganizationalstructure,theboardof

directors,onwhichIsitandwhichHerbisthechairman,doesnotknowinadvance

whatwe'regoingtoreporton.”ix

Steigerindicatedthat,becauseofthewayProPublicaissetup,hehas

virtuallythesameamountoffreedomtoruntheorganizationashedidwhenhewas

attheWallStreetJournal.

IfSteigerwastheonlyoneextollingProPublica’svirtues,onemighttakehis

wordswithagrainofsalt,butthenonprofithasturnedoutsomesolidinvestigative

reporting.Specifically,writerSheriFinkwroteanarticleonaNewOrleanshospital

isolatedbyfloodwaterswithoutpowerorrunningwaterafterHurricaneKatrina.

Thestorywonthe2010PulitzerPrizeforinvestigativereporting.

11

IttookFinkovertwoyearstoreportthestoryandsheinterviewedover140

people.AfteritraninTheNewYorkTimes,itledtoanewinvestigationintoatleast

onepatient’sdeath.x

OnlinenewsoutletshavenotalwaysbeeneligibletoreceiveaPulitzer,but

theprize’sregulationswerebroadenedin2008toincludeonline‐onlypublications.

ThoughFink’sstoryalsoraninTheNewYorkTimes,ProPublicaisconsideredthe

firstonlinenewssourcetoreceiveaPulitzer.

ProPublica’sPulitzerwinledtoheadlineslike“Nonprofit’sNewsGathering

PaysOff”inanarticlebytheWashingtonPost’sHowardKurtzand“PulitzerPrizes

ConfirmRiseofOnlineJournalism”intheInternationalHeraldTribune.

“ProPublica'ssuccessisapositiveindicatorthatanonprofitonlinebusiness

modelcansustainthecostofinvestigativejournalism,”saysRobertEisenhartina

postoneditorsweblog.org,apartoftheWorldAssociationofNewspaperswebsite.

“ThisshouldgivehopetootherorganizationslikeCaliforniaWatchandtheTexas

Tribunewhoalsouseanonprofitmodeltosustaininvestigativejournalism.While

theseorganizationshaven'treceivedthesamelevelofrecognitionasProPublica,it

givescredencetothepotentialinnonprofitjournalism.”xi

Assuch,itseemslikelythat,asitbecomesincreasinglydifficultfor

traditionalfor‐profitnewsorganizationstoproduce,investigativejournalismcould

findahomeinonlinenonprofitnewsrooms.Itremainstobeseenifsuchmodelsare

12

sustainablewithouttremendousamountsofbackingfromdeep‐pocketedfinanciers

(whichwillalwaysraisequestionsinandofitself).

HighprofilenonprofitslikeProPublicadogreatworkandgrabalotof

headlinesdoingso.Firstsarealwaysnotableandbeingthefirstonlinepublication

towinaPulitzerwillgetagreatdealofwelldeservedattention.However,itwould

bewrongtoassumethat,justbecauseProPublicaisseeminglyattheheadofthe

nonprofitpackatthemoment,thatitwillbesoforever,orevenbearoundatall.

ProPublicaisdoinggreatworktopatchaholeinjournalismwherethe

investigativepartusedtobe,butit’soneexpensivepatch.WithHerbandMarion

Sandlerthrowing$10millionannuallyatthenonprofit,ProPublicaseemstobe

doingagreatdealtofillthevoidtemporarily,butlittletofigureouthowto

permanentlysealit.

13

TheTexasTribune

ProPublicaandtheSandlersaren’ttheonlymodelofonlinenonprofit

journalism.Manyonlinenonprofitnewsorganizationsworkwithlessmoneythan

ProPublicaandseeseekingsustainabilityasaprimarygoals.

TheTexasTribune,oneoftheseorganizations,waslaunchedonNov.3,2009.

TheTribune’swebsitedescribesthenonprofitas“anonpartisan,nonprofitmedia

organizationthatpromotescivicengagementanddiscourseonpublicpolicy,

politics,government,andothermattersofstatewideconcern.Ourvisionistoserve

thejournalismcommunityasasourceofinnovationandtobuildthenextgreat

publicmediabrandintheUnitedStates.”xii

Theorganizationisstillinitsinfancy,butmanyarelookingtoitasoneof

journalism’sbestshotsatcrackingtheonlinenonprofitsustainabilitycode.

Ataglance,theTribuneseemsagreatdeallikeProPublica:bothare

nonprofits.Bothpartnerwithmoretraditionalnewsoutletstomaketheircontent

morewidelyavailable.Bothhaveyounghotshotwritersandexperiencededitors

whoarepaidverywell(accordingtotheAustinChronicle,somewritersearnas

muchas$90,000andeditor‐in‐chiefEvanSmithearns$315,000).xiii

Thesimilaritiesdon’tendthere.Bothorganizationscameintoexistenceasa

reactiontotheever‐shrinkingpresenceofstrongin‐depthjournalisminthepresent

daymediascape.

14

“WhenImovedtoTexasnearly19yearsago,twothingswerethecasethat

arenotthecasetoday.ThefirstisthereweretwodailynewspapersinHouston,San

Antonio,DallasandElPaso.Today,therearesixmarketsinthecountry,noneof

theminTexas,withtwodailynewspapers.Soweknowthattherearemanyfewer

newspaperspublishingtodaythantherewereeven20yearsago,”Smithsaid

duringhispresentationonnonprofitjournalismatthe11thAnnualInternational

SymposiumonOnlineJournalismin2010.xiv

TexasTribunefounderandchairmanJohnThorntonsaidhewantsthe

organizationtopickupsomeoftheslackleftbythoseshrinkinginstitutions.

“Broadly,for‐profitpublicationsdon’tnecessarilyputthemostresources

intowhatisthehardestorthemostimportantorthemostrelevant,”hesaid.“They

dothebesttheycan,butallofthemhaveeconomicchallenges.SoIthinkweserve

asasupplementtothefor‐profitoutlets.”xv

Atthe12thAnnualInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalismin2011,

ThorntonrelatedaconversationhehadwithlongtimejournalistDanRather.

“IrememberpitchingthistoDanRatherveryearlyandhegotthiskindoffar

offexpressiononhisface.Hesaid‘myfirstjob50yearsagoinjournalismwasto

coverthestatecapitolinTexasfortheNo.3radiostationinHouston,’”Thornton

said.“FiftyyearsagotheNo.3radiostationinHoustonhadafulltimereporteron

thecapitolbeat.Todayyoucouldn’tfindahumanbeingattheNo.3radiostationin

15

Houston,muchlessonecoveringthestatecapitol.Soit’sthatsortofdisintegration

offocusonstatewideissuethatledustotheTribune.”

AnotherchallengetheTribunefaces,whichtheProPublicafounderscan

relateto,isbeingacceptedasanunbiasedsourceofnewswhilereceivingthevast

majorityofitsfundingfromasingle,liberal‐leaningbacker,Thornton.Ina2009

WashingtonPostarticlebyHowardKurtz,Thorntondescribeshimselfasan

“unreformedlimousineliberal”whostartedtheTribuneoutofgreed.xvi

AccordingtodatafromtheCenterforResponsivePolitics,DemocratsBill

White,ChetEdwards,JackMcDonald,PatrickLeahyandHarryReadeachgot$2,400

fromThorntonfortheirpoliticalcampaignsin2009.xvii

“Thorntonandhiswife,Julie,havegivenmorethan$194,000tofederal

DemocraticcandidatesandcampaigncommitteessinceJanuary2008,”accordingto

theJuly24,2009editionoftheHoustonChronicle’s“TexasPolitics”blog.“When

TexasGov.GeorgeW.Bush,aRepublican,wasrunningforpresidentin2000,

Thorntongave$50,000totheDemocraticNationalCommittee.Atthestatelevel,the

Thorntonshavedonatedmorethan$96,000since2000toDemocraticcauses,

mostlyinthepasttwoyears.”xviii

AswiththeSandlers,theThorntonspoliticalleaningshavecausedmanyto

questiontheTexasTribune’sneutralityand,unlikeProPublica,theTribunedoesn’t

haveanyPulitzers(yet)topointtointheirdefense.However,unliketheSandlers

andbeforetheTribuneevenlaunched,Thorntonsaidhewouldceaseanyandall

16

contributionstopoliticalcampaignsinanefforttoshowhisdedicationtocreating

anunbiasedproduct.

“ItisabsolutelytruethatIhaveretiredfrompartisanpolitics,”Thorntonsaid

onhisJuly24,2009blogentry.“ThemembersoftheJournalismTribe–particularly

theyoungones–tendtoostracizethepartisansintheirmidst,tomakethemeat

lunchatBurgerKingratherthantheplaceallthecoolkidsgo.AndIhavetotellyou:

theteamEvanandRosshavehiredcansmellapartisanfrom50paces.

“Ifwe–I,Iguess–wouldhavewantedtobuildjustanotherpartisanecho

chamber,wewouldhavebuiltaverydifferentteam.AndattractingaSmithora

Ramseywouldhavebeenimpossible.”xix

ButthefactthatThorntonhashaltedhispoliticaldonationsisn’ttheonly,or

eventhemostimportant,differenceinhowhehasapproachedstartingtheTribune.

Insteadoftakingthe“expensivepatch”methodtheSandlersuse,inputting$10

millionannuallytowardProPublica,Thorntononlyput$1milliontowardthe

Tribuneinitsfirstyearandinsistsitberunlikeabusinessinthehopeofoneday

achievingsustainabilitywithoutrelyingonmajorgiving.

“Wehaven’tdefinitivelyprovensustainabilityfornonprofitnews,butIthink

we’regainingonit,”Thorntonsaid.TheTribuneisin“anumberofdifferent

businessesthatlookjustlikefor‐profitbusinesses”andhasbetween$1.5and$2

millionin“corporatesponsorship”inventory.

17

“Wecallthemsponsors,youcancallthemadvertisers,”Thorntonsaid.

“Thesearefolkswhomakemedia‐buydecisionsjustliketheydoonfor‐profitsites

andtheypartnerwithusbecausethismonthwehad415,000readers.”

Ideally,ThorntonsaidthegoalistohaveabouthalfoftheTribune’s$3.3

millionbudgettakencareofthroughcorporatesponsorshipandtherestmadeupof

memberships(whichrangefrom$50to$5000),eventsandpremiumcontent.

18

Figure2:TheTexasTribune’s2011BudgetaccordingtofounderJohnThornton

Trib's$3.3millionbudget

CorporateSponsorships‐$2million

MembershipRevenue‐$300,000

Shortfall(MajorGiving)‐$1,000,000

19

“Premiumcontent,today,isabouta$300,000business.Membershipbudget

isabout$300,000.Wecurrentlyhaveabout2,500members,”Thorntonsaid.“Add

allthatupthisyear,andthegoalistoloseahalfmilliondollarsonthe$3.3million

budget.Welostamilliondollarslastyearandthenthegoalwouldbetobreakeven

withoutmajorgivingin2012.It’sastretchgoal,andit’snotgoingtobeeasy,but

that’stheidea.”

Thehighestlevelofmembershipcosts$5000.Thorntonsaidanythingabove

thatisconsidered“majorgiving”andanunreliablesourceofrevenueforthe

Tribune.

“Weknowthat,overthelongterm,relianceonmajorgivingisnotwherewe

wanttobe,”hesaid.“But,weoughttorunthislikeabusinessandthat’ssomething

thatEvandrillsintohisstaff’sheadeveryday.”xx

Withthatmentality,theTexasTribuneisforecasttobreakevenby2013

accordingtotheorganization’sownwebsite.xxiIftheTribunecontinuestorelyless

andlessonmajorgiving($1millioninit’sfirstyear,$500,000init’ssecond),it’snot

anunrealisticgoalandthat’swhymanyarelookingtotheTribuneasperhapsonline

nonprofitjournalism’sbestshot.It’snotswimminginthekindofmoneyProPublica

isandthepeoplerunningtheshowhavenointentionsofperpetuallysinkingmoney

intoitjusttokeepitafloat.

WeretheTribunedoessucceedinbreakingevenandhavesomeextra

revenue,Thorntonsaidhehasbigplansfortheorganization’sfuture.

20

“Thehopeisthatwecanoperateintheblackwithacushionandcontinueto

growtheorganizationandreallybuildabigpublicmediabrand,”hesaid.“The

possibilitiesarealmostlimitless.I’dlovetohavereportersonthegroundallover

thestate.I’dlovetohaveabureauinthevalley.We’rejustnoteventouchingwhat

wecoulddowithmoreresources.”xxii

Still,eveniftheTribunedoesbecomeasustainablenewsorganization,it’s

notamodelthatThorntonsaidhethinkswouldbeeasilyreplicable.

“Thisishard.Andit’snotobvioustomethatthismodelisreplicableand

sustainablebroadly,kindofallovertheplace,”hesaid.“Iwouldn’twanttotrytorun

thisplacewithoutEvanSmith,oranywhereelsebutTexas,becauseIthinkitisvery

difficult.ButIthinkit’scertainlyworthit.It’scertainlyworthtrying.”

InAprilof2010,theKnightFoundationsponsoredaroundtablemeetingof

nonprofitorganizationscalled“SeekingSustainability,”attheUniversityofTexas.

TheroundtablefeaturedpeoplefromtheTexasTribuneandvariousotheronline

nonprofitnewsorganizationsfromaroundthecountry,suchastheVoiceofSan

Diego,theChicagoNewsCooperativeandOaklandLocal.Afterward,theKnight

FoundationpublishedareportbyChristopherSopherontheeventinwhichhesaid

thatthenonprofitnewsorganizationspresentattheroundtable“aredoing

encouraginglywellatexecutingtheircorejournalisticandcommunityinformation

missions…However:financial,organizationalandtechnologicalsustainabilityare

seriouschallenges.”

21

Oneyearlater,itseemsasiftheTexasTribunehastakenonallofthose

challengesandlookstobeinafavorablepositiontosurmounttheminthenear

future.Onlytimewilltell.But,thefinancialbackingfromThorntonhasensuredthe

Tribunewon’thavetheearlyresourceproblemsofmanyothernonprofitstartups.

Smithisaseasonededitorwhohasprovenhecanrunanorganizationofthe

Tribune’smagnitude.Thankstothoseresourcesandleadership,theTribuneison

thecuttingedgeoftechnologyaswell.Allthepiecesareinplace.

“TheonethingEvanandI,whenwewereraisingmoneyforthisattheoutset,

coulddefinitivelysaywasthatweweregoingtoputoutagoodproduct.Wecould

definitivelysayitwasgoingtobeanonpartisaneffort,whichitverymuchis.What

wecouldn’tdefinitivelysayiswouldanybodycare,”hesaid.“Whenyouthrowa

party,yourconcernisalwaysthatnobody’sgoingtoshowupandwhathappenedto

usiskindoftheneighborscalledthecopssomanypeopleshowedup.

“Soit’sbeentremendouslygratifying,thelevelofinterestinthecontent

thesefolksaredoingandthey’vewonawholebunchofawards.Isortofchokeup,

I’msoproudofwhatthey’vedone.”

TheTexasTribuneoffersthemostbusinesslikeapproachtononprofitjournalismto

date.Theorganization’swebsitesaysthatit’slookingtobreakevenona$3million

budgetby2013xxiiiand,afteratalkwithfounderandchairmanJohnThornton,oneis

hardpressednottotaketheclaimasinevitable.

22

Speakingatthe12thAnnualInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalism

attheUniversityofTexasinAustinonApril2,2011,Thorntonwasevenmore

optimisticthanhiswebsite’sstatedgoal.

“Welostamilliondollarslastyearandthenthegoalwouldbetobreakeven

withoutmajorgivingin2012,”hesaid.“It’sastretchgoal,andit’snotgoingtobe

easy,butthat’stheidea.”

ButnotallsignspointtothesituationbeingasrosyasThornton’soptimism

wouldindicate.AccordingtoanarticlebyChristopherCalnanintheAustinBusiness

JournalfromMarch11,2011,theTribune,“membershipshavefallenshortof

expectations,buttheorganizationattractedmoredonormoneyandwebsitetraffic

thanithadinitiallyprojected.”xxiv

FallingshortonmembershipexpectationsisokiftheTribunemakes

upforitbyreceivingmoredonationsthanexpected,butit’snothowThornton

wantstorunthenonprofit,“likeabusiness.”

23

TheAustinPost

TheAustinPostisperhapsthemosttrulyexperimentalonlinenonprofit

newsorganizationtopopupinthepastfewyears.Thesimilaritiesbetweenitanda

ProPublicaandtheTexasTribunebeginandendlargelywiththefactthey’reall

nonprofitsandprovidesomesortofnewsavailablefreelytothepubliconthe

Internet.

ThePostisthebrainchildofScottBrighton,presidentoftheAustin‐based

softwarecompanyTrilogy,andJoeLiemondt,thecompany’sCEO.xxv

Brighton,whostillhasthreenewspapersdeliveredtohishouseeveryday,

saidhe’salwayshadaloveofjournalismandaninterestinindustriesinastateof

“chaoticflux,”andthat’swhatledhimtotheideatostarttheAustinPost.

“Theeconomicsofthenewspaperarefascinating.Virtuallyalltherevenue

comesfromadvertising,andthatrevenueisbasicallygoingaway,”hesaid.“The

onlinerevenuethatisreplacingtheofflinerevenueisreplacingitatafractionalrate.

Whatdoyoudo?

“Onewayistofocusonrevenue‐hangonandhopethatonlineadratescatch

uptooffline.Orputupapaywall,likeTheWallStreetJournal.Oraskpeopleor

companiestomakedonations,liketheTexasTribune.”

Anotherway,whichthePosthasemployed,istoscaledowntheeditorialtoa

smallteam,andthenleveragetheburgeoningranksofamateurjournaliststofillin

therest.

24

“Mybeliefwasthiscouldwork,”Brightonsaid.“Theaggregationofallthe

randomblogsinAustinactuallywouldproduceaprettycompellingnewspaper,and

thesmallpaidjournalismteamcouldcoverallthebreakingnewsthatthismodel

doesnotlenditselfwellto.”

ButthePostdidn’talwayshaveeventhesmalleditorialteamitnowhas.

Accordingtoeditor‐in‐chiefKarieMeltzer,theoriginalideabehindthePostwasthat

itwouldbeanopen‐sourcedcommunitynewswebsite,likeahyper‐localWikipedia

meetstheHuffingtonPost.ThePostwasmeanttoseeifalow‐budgetopen‐sourced

newsnonprofitcouldcompetewiththewebtrafficlikethatofadailynewspaper

website.

“Thatwastheirgoal,”saideditor‐in‐chiefKarieMeltzer.“Theythoughtwe

havetodoitusergeneratedsowedon’thavetopayanywriters.Andthatwastheir

originalthinkingbutwe’vemadealotofchanges.”

Amongthosechanges,theadditionofthesmalleditorialstaffBrightonspoke

of.Butitwasn’tachangethathappenedovernight.

“ThePost,itoriginallylaunchedasanalluser‐submittedcommunitynews

website,”Meltzersaid.“Thetheorywasthatanyonecouldgoon,createaprofileand

writeanarticle.”

Meltzer,whooriginallyappliedforanassistanteditorpositionbutwas

quicklypromotedwhentheoriginaleditor‐in‐chiefmovedtoColoradobeforeshe’d

evenhadherfirstdayonthejob,noticedthat,becauseabsolutelyanybodycould

25

postanythingonthewebsite,thePostwasn’tgettingthetypeofstories,ortheweb

traffic,ithadhopeditwasgoingtowhenitfirstlaunched.

“Itookoverabouteightmonthsintothewebsiteandoriginallymostofthe

contentwasrepostedpressreleases,politicalrants,theoccasionalreallygood

usefulstory,butmostofittherewasreallynoconcisemissionwhenyoulookedat

thecontent,”shesaid.“SowhenIcameonboardIwantedtobringalittlemore

seriousnewstothesiteandtrytogetfriendsthatIknowinAustinwhoIconsider

thoughtleadersorintelligentpeoplewhopayattentiontowhat’shappeningatthe

capitolorcityhall,orevenjustmusicandtheartsscenebutsomethingalittlemore

indepth.”

Underthenewleadership,thePostgotalittlenewsier.Meltzerconvinced

BrightonandLiemandttoletherhireacoupleinternsandwebtrafficincreased,but

itstillwasn’tatthelevelsheortheguysatTrilogywerehopingfor.

“Afteraboutayearofnotgettingthetrafficwereallywanted,Iconvincedthe

investorstoletushirefiverealjournalists,”Meltzersaid.“They’redefinitelyyoung

rightoutofschoolsjournalists,butthey’rerealreportersandtheywouldprovide

kindoftheanchorcontentandwe’dstillallowthecitizenstocontribute.”

ErickPickhartz,oneoftheyoungjournaliststhePosthasrecentlyhired,said

he’shappytobeatthePost,butthathe’sstilluncertainaboutit’sfuture.

“Ididn’trealizeIwasgoingtobeabletofindsomethingthatallowedmeto

virtuallydowhatIwantedandhowIwantedtoandgetpaidforit,andactuallyhave

26

itshowupsomewhereinthepublicdomain.Ithinkmegettingpaidtodowhatalot

ofpeoplearedoingforfreethesedaysisamazing,”hesaid.“Atthesametime,we

don’tknowexactlyhowlongit’sgoingtolast.Wedon’tnecessarilyhaveafullgrasp

ofwhatreadersliketoreadthemostandwhatismosteffectiveinourjournalistic

practices.

“It’sdifficult,Iwouldimagineinanyvenueorentity,butbecausewedon’t

haveawholelotofmoneyit’salittlemoredifficult.Weareayoungenthusiastic

group,butwedon’thavethegenerationsofexperienceotherplacesmighthave.”

TheadditionofanactualstaffofwritersputsthePostalittlemoreinthe

sameveinasProPublicaandtheTexasTribune,butMeltzerisquicktopointout

somekeydifferences.

“TheircontentistailoredjustforinsidersinTexasPolitics,”shesaid,

referringtotheTribune.“EveryarticlehastodowithTexaspoliticsand

government.It’snotgeneralinterestcontent.Mostoftheirreadersarelegislators

andstaffers,politicalconsultants,lobbyists,interestgroupsandjudges,lawyersand

thatwholescenearoundthecapitol.Soyou’renotgoingtofindoutanythingabout

musicorstyle.

“Theyhaveaverydifferentmissionandtheydon’tallowanycitizencontent.

Theirstaffersdoindepthinvestigativepiecesandtheywriteblogposts.”

27

Forinstance,Pickhartzpredominantlycoverssports,atopicunlikelyto

appearintheTribuneanytimesoon,andpointstostoriesonthegeneralactive

lifestyleofAustinitesassomeofhisfavoritestories.

“It’sthesimpleones,whenIjusthappentorunintosomebody,”hesaid.“For

example,Iwasdrivinginmyneighborhoodandcameacrossoneofthoseguyswill

thosehugetallbikes,soIjustpulledover,ranafterhim,andaskedhimifIcouldask

himafewquestions.

“It’sthattypeofthingthatisquicklybecomingmyfavorite.JustwhenI

stumbleacrosssomethingandit’sunique,itfitsAustin,andit’salsoupmyalley.And

everybody’salwayssoniceaboutit.“

ButthefactthatthePostisgeneralinterestandnotanichepublicationlike

theTribuneisn’ttheonlydifferenceinthetwo.Besidesbeingatleastpartiallyopen‐

sourced,theAustinPostoperatesonatinybudgetcomparedtotheTribune,anda

downrightminisculeonecomparedtoProPublica.

“Becauseit’sanonprofitallofourfundingcomesfromthesoftwarecompany

TrilogyEnterprises,”Meltzersaid.Thereisnoadvertisingrevenue,nomembership

revenue;thereisonlywhatBrighton,LiemandtandTrilogyprovide.

Whichisn’tmuch,atleastcomparedtothePosts’biggernonprofit

counterparts.

28

“TheTexasTribunehasahugebudget,”saidMeltzer.“Iknowthat,whenthey

firstlaunched,IthinkthenumberscameoutthatEvanSmiththeeditorinchiefwas

makingover$300grand.Thereportersweremaking$80to$100grand.”

TherearenosuchsalariesattheAustinPost.

“Oursitehasatinybudget,”saidMeltzer.“Ouryearlybudgetislessthan

EvanSmith’ssalary.Beforewetookonwritersitwasabout$200,000peryear.That

includesdesignwork,mysalary,marketing,andpartiesoreventswedo,thetech

support,allthatstuff.AllthatislessthanEvanSmith’ssalary.”

Theadditionofthenewwriters,fiveofthemat$500perweek,haspushed

thePost’sbudgetuptoaround$300,000,buteventhat’snowherenearthe

Tribune’sbudget.

Havinglesscash,Meltzeradmits,doesresultinfewerresourcesandlower‐

qualityjournalismthanonemightexpectfromtheTribune.

“Wedefinitelydon’thavethesamelevelofjournalismbecausewedon’thave

thesamefundingtohirereporterswhohavePulitzerprizes,”shesaid,butpointsto

theorganization’srecenthiresasastepintherightdirection.

29

Figure3:Comparativegraphoforganizations’annualbudgetsaccordingtostated

figuresfromProPublica,TexasTribuneandAustinPost.

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

ProPublica TexasTribune AustinPost

AnnualBudget

AnnualBudget

30

“Ithinkthattheyarenotafraidtogooutanddoreporting.Theydon’ttryto

writestoriesofftwitterwithoutleavingtheircomputer,”shesaid.“JackieStone,the

politicalreporter,hasdonesomereallyinterestingworkatcityhall.She’sthere

everyweek.ShegoestoeveryAustinISDbudgetmeeting.Shedoesareallygoodjob

ofwhittlingdowncomplicatedstuff.

“TheStatesmanmightwriteitasareallylongpieceandshe’lldothetop10

thingsyouneedtoknowabouttheAISDbudget.Itdoesn’tdumbitdown,butit’sa

littlemoreofawebstyle.”

MeltzeralsosaidstylereporterMicheleSavage‐Menaandartsreporter

GabinoIglesiashaveturnedoutsomeverystrongreporting.

“Ourfoodandstylereporterhasdoneareallygoodjoboffindingdeeper

stories.She’lldosomefunlightstoriesaboutfashion,butshe’llalsodoastoryabout

howthedroughtisaffectinglocalfarmers,”shesaid.“AndGabino’scoveringaside

oftheartscommunitythat’sreallynotcoveredasmuch,likelocalhorrorauthors

andburlesque.It’ssomereallycoolundertheradarstuff.

“They’rereallycreativeandI’mtryingtogetthemtocoverstuffthatnot

manyotherpeoplearecoveringbecauseit’skindofasaturatedmarket.”

ThewaytheAustinPostissetupalsoallowsittosidesteponeofthepitfalls

ofbeingbackedbyprivateinvestorslikeHerbandMarionSandler,JohnThornton

or,inthePost’scase,Brighton,LiemandtandTrilogy.

31

“That’sthethingaboutbeingusergeneratedisletssaysomeonethoughtwe

hadtoomuchcontentthathadaliberalbias,whichhappensinAustinwhenyou’re

usergeneratedbecause,let’sfaceit,therearealotmoredemocratsthanthereare

republicanshere,”saidMeltzer.“Wellifarepublicanwasangryaboutthat,they

couldgowritetheirownarticleandgetalltheirfriendstowritearticlessothe

contentcangetbalancedout.”

Besidesthatfactthough,MeltzersaidthattheinvestorsatTrilogyarevery

detachedfromthegoings‐onatthePostanyway.

“Thankfully,myboss,IguessyoucouldsayisScottBrightonatTrilogy,I

don’treallyknowhispoliticalviewsandhedoesn’twriteforthesite,”saidMeltzer.

“He’snevercommentedononearticleotherthanmaybe‘ohIlikethatguy’sstyle.’

Hehasnointerestinwhetherwehaveapoliticalslant.”

SotheAustinPosthasbeenabletobuildasmallfollowingasahyper‐local

onlinenonprofitnewsorganization.Its917“likes”onFacebookaren’tquiteasmuch

astheTexasTribune’s14,012orProPublica’s16,473,butneitheristhePost’s

annualbudget.It’sscopeisfarsmallerthanProPublica’s(national)ortheTribune’s

(statewide)aswell,soperhapsjustunder1000isappropriate.

“We'llneverhavethespectaculargrowththatlargemoneyenables,suchas

whatTexasTribunewasabletodrive,”saidBrighton.“ButwhatfundsTTfora

quarterwouldfundusfor10years.Wehavelotsofrunwaytoexperiment,grow,

andgetbetter.”

32

TherealquestioniswhetherornottheAustinPostcouldsomedayserveasa

modelofsustainableonlinenonprofitjournalism.Theanswertothatquestionis,at

themoment,no.

“IfwebrokefromTrilogy,we’dhavetogetdonationsfrompeople,”Meltzer

said.“OrI’dhavetotakeoutabigloanandrunitmyself.”

ThePosthasnoadvertisingrevenueandnomembershipstocreatecash

flow.ItreliesentirelyuponthewhimsofBrighton,LiemandtandTrilogy.While

havingcontentthatisentirelyuser‐generatesisanovelideathatmightbe

promisingintermsofcreatingwebtrafficandeliminating,oratleastbalancing,

biasedreporting,itwouldalsobeentirelycontradictorytomoneymaking.

“Nonprofitsdon’tgettoputuptheirownads.Theyhaveapagewherethey

thanktheirsponsors.Butyouwouldn’thaveagiantadfromFrostbank,”Meltzer

said.“It’dbekindoflikeonNPRwheretheNPRpeoplesay‘supportforNPRcomes

from’buttheydon’thaveanactualad.Youdon’tgettohaveanactualcommercial.

Trilogyhassaidthatifwegottowheretheythoughtweweregoodenoughtoask

forthatthenwewould,butfornowtheywantmoretraffic.”

ThePostcouldlikelydrivewebtraffictothepointthatadvertisingwouldbe

profitableforanyotherwebsitethatwasn’tusergenerated.But,there’snoreason

whyanadvertiserwouldwanttopayforanadonanopen‐sourcewebsitewhen

theycouldsimplywriteandsubmitanarticleextollingthevirtuesofwhatever

producttheymightbepeddling.

33

Memberships,liketheTribuneimplements,wouldalsolikelyprovefutileas

wellasthere’sstillnotenoughoriginalreportingontheAustinPosttomerit

someonebuyingone.

Nonetheless,theAustinPostisafascinatingforayintotherealmofonline

nonprofitjournalismandonethatcouldbemoreeasilyreplicableinnumerous

citiesthanahigh‐investmenteffortlikeProPublicaortheTexasTribune.Infact,a

for‐profitmodelofhyper‐localonlinejournalism,Patch.com,hasbeenaroundsince

2007and,aftera$50millioninvestmentfromparentcompanyAOL,hasspreadto

over800townsin18statesandtheDistrictofColumbia.xxvi

UnlikethePost,Patchisn’topen‐sourced,allowingforadvertisingdollarsto

flowin,butconsistsoflocaleditorsintownsacrossthecountryhiringsmallcrews

offreelancewriterstocoverissuesthatpertaintothelocalcommunity.Butit

remainstobeseenifthismodelissustainableeither,certainlynotwithout$50

millionfromAOL.

Objectively,thePostcouldbesustainableinthat,iftheoperatingcosts

remainlow,itmightbeworthitforacompanylikeTrilogytokeepitaround,ifonly

asataxwrite‐off.

“Rightnowforthemitisataxwriteoff,”Meltzersaid.“It’snotmakingthem

anyrevenue,buttheymakeenoughmoneyfromotheravenuesthattheydon’treally

needtheAustinPosttomakemoney.”

34

That’snotthetypeofsustainabilityonewouldgenerallythinkof,butitcould

beenoughtokeepanorganizationlikethePostaroundforagoodlongwhile.

“That'swhatwe'retrying,”saidBrighton.“Wekeepourinvestmentmodest

sothereisnorevenuepressureonthebusiness,andwe'reallowingittogrow

slowlyandorganicallyovertime.It'sworkingsofar.”

iAuditBureauofCirculations,ConsolidatedMediaReportfortheDallasMorningNews,http://www.accessabc.com/pdfs/dallascmr.pdfiiHuffpostMedia,NewspaperCirculationDown5Percent,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/25/newspaper‐circulation‐dow_0_n_773362.html#s164307&title=1_Wall_StreetiiiRobertW.McChesney,“ThecrisisofjournalismandtheInternet,”NewsOnline:TransformationsandContinuities,ed.GrahamMeikleandGuyRedden(NewYork,NY:PalgraveMacmillan,2011)53‐68ivPewResearchCenter,TheStateoftheNewsMedia2011,http://stateofthemedia.org/vPewResearchCenter,TheStateoftheNewsMedia2011,NewsbytheNumbers,http://stateofthemedia.org/2011/newspapers‐essay/data‐page‐6/viProPublica.org,AboutUs,http://www.ProPublica.org/about/viiPhoenix.edu,ProPublica:InvestigativeJournalismorLiberalSpin?,http://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/media‐center/fact‐checker/ProPublica‐Investigative‐Journalism‐or‐Liberal‐Spin.htmlviiiJackShafer,WhatDoHerbertandMarionSandlerWant?,http://www.slate.com/id/2175942/,Oct.5,2007ixPBS.org,NonprofitGroupsFinancingIndependentJournalism,http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan‐june08/mediamodel_06‐24.htmlxProPublica.org,PulitzerPrizeinInvestigativeReporting:DeadlyChoicesatMemorial,http://www.ProPublica.org/awards/item/pulitzer‐prize‐in‐investigative‐reporting‐deadly‐choices‐at‐memorial/xiRobertEisenhart,ProPublicascoresbigwithPulitzerPrize,http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2010/04/ProPublica_scores_big_with_pulitizer_pri.phpxiiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xiiiKevinBrass,TheAustinChronicle,“MediaWatch:‘ASenseofPurpose,’”http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2009‐10‐30/901866/xivInternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalism,2010SymposiumTranscripts,http://online.journalism.utexas.edu/transcripts.php?year=2010

35

xvJohnThornton,interview,April2,2011xviWashingtonPost,Texas­sizeTest,http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110102053_pf.htmlxviiOpenSecrets.org,http://www.opensecrets.org/usearch/index.php?q=John+Thornton&searchButt.x=0&searchButt.y=0&searchButt=Submit&cx=010677907462955562473%3Anlldkv0jvam&cof=FORID%3A11#885xviiiTexasPolitics,“ThoseDonationsfromTexasTribunefounderJohnThornton,”http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2009/07/those_donations.htmlxixInsomniactive,AndNow,aWordfromEvanAboutWiccans,http://insomniactive.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/and‐now‐a‐word‐from‐evan‐about‐wiccans/xxJohnThornton,InternationalSymposiumonOnlineJournalismpresentation,April2,2011xxiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xxiiJohnThornton,interview,April2,2011xxiiiTheTexasTribune,AboutUs,http://www.TexasTribune.org/about/xxivChristopherCalnan,AustinBusinessJournal,TexasTribune’sEarlyPerformanceMixed,http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/print‐edition/2011/03/11/texas‐tribunes‐early‐revenue‐stout‐but.htmlxxvTrilogy,Management,http://www.trilogy.com/management.phpxxviVerneG.Kopytoff,NewYorkTimes,AOLBestsonHyperlocalNews,FindingProgressWhereManyHaveFailed,http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/business/media/17local.html

36

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40

Vita

Joseph Abel Holloway graduated from Marshall High School in 2005.

Afterwards,heenteredBaylorUniversity inWaco,Texas.HereceivedaBachelor’s

of Journalism degree in May 2009 and enrolled in the Graduate School at the

University ofTexas atAustin inAugust 2009.Hehasworked as awriter, graphic

designerandmultimediajournalist.

Email:Joe_Holloway@Rocketmail.com

Thisreportwastypedbytheauthor.