Sustainable Connections

Your monthly gateway to the dynamic world of independent digital native media.

We explore cutting-edge topics that shape the media landscape, from diversity and gender to innovative business models. Discover how journalists are breaking barriers and fostering growth in the ever-evolving media industry. Whether you’re a seasoned industry leader, contemplating the launch of a new media organization, looking for opportunities, or keen on investing in quality journalism, this newsletter is for you.

What's new

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Discover The What If, a media outlet working in conflict-affected regions like Lebanon and Afghanistan. They create spaces for dialogue, collaborate with professional peacebuilders, and use constructive journalism to amplify voices often left out of mainstream narratives. We spoke about their innovative model that brings together community, impact, and local storytelling. Plus, don’t miss this month’s opportunities and recommended reads!

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We spotlight Mašina, a nonprofit media organization based in Serbia that has been on the ground with student-led protests for more than seven months. In this edition, you will discover how Mašina combines activism, public interest journalism, and strategic storytelling across platforms, and what lessons their experience offers for media outlets navigating political turbulence and building trust from the ground up.

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We spoke with Priti Patnaik, founder of Geneva Health Files, about what she’s learned from five years of reporting on global health—and building a media outlet around it. From surviving the startup phase to navigating a shifting funding landscape, Priti shares insights on sustainability, reader support, and why independent reporting on global health is more essential than ever.

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We spotlight Community Impact, an American media organization that’s proving that independent, unbiased local news can still grow—and make an impact. Don’t miss this deep dive into how they’re sustaining journalism while serving over 2.5 million households across Texas.


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In this edition, we explore the work of Amazônia Real. We spoke with its co-founder about the challenges of funding independent journalism in Brazil, training indigenous reporters, and why journalists sometimes have to take sides. Plus, key insights from our research and this month’s top resources and opportunities.

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Meet Fumaça, a Portuguese investigative podcast that challenges traditional norms with radical transparency in its funding and editorial process. Plus, we share resources and opportunities for this month.

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December 2024

This edition highlights key insights from our growing community of digital native media, including takeaways from interviews with 10 media founders. Topics covered range from diversifying revenue sources to serving multiple audiences, and more. Thank you for being part of this journey!

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November 2024

Lela turns to El Surti, one of Latin America’s most innovative news outlets. She spoke with its co-founder and editorial director Jazmín Acuña about visual journalism, sustainability, connecting with their audiences, and producing journalism that initiates meaningful change.

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October 2024

In this edition, Sanne talks with Jens Finnäs from Newsworthy about balancing slow growth with resilience, lessons learned from grant funding, and how data journalism can improve storytelling.

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September 2024

Lela focuses on Armenia, home to a significant diaspora, and presents us CivilNet, a leading independent outlet in Yerevan that reaches more than 11 million people annually with multilingual content on culture, politics, and technology.

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August 2024

Florencia Aza shares insights on the Global Project Oasis. The directory features more than 3,000 profiles, revealing trends about revenue, teams, and the challenges of maintaining editorial independence.

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July 2024

To get an idea of some of the challenges of local media in the UK, Sanne talked to Rhiannon J. Davis from Greater Govanhill (Scotland). They talked about business models, collaborative journalism, and the future of the profession. 

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June 2024

Lela reflects on her recent visit to the Caucasus, highlighting media challenges across cultural divides and limited international outreach for the so-called “small” languages and cultures. She got to talk with OC Media from Georgia, get to know them!

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May 2024

Get to know Karakaya Talks, a group of German youngsters of migrant origins who, angry at how they saw the traditional media too often portrayed them, decided to use social media to do it their way. 

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April 2024

In this issue, we share the findings of our Project Oasis research on reader revenue, and in particular on crowdfunding. We spoke to Alain Gresh, founder of Orient XXI, an online magazine that covers news from Morocco to Afghanistan and is supported by annual crowdfunding. Check it out!

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March 2024

We talked with Taras Yatsenko, co-founder of Tvoe Misto, a local media outlet from western Ukraine where we found a spark of hope, even though our first attempt to have an interview was delayed due to a cyberattack.

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February 2024

We talked with Besa Luci from Kosovo 2.0, a media outlet that, despite limited human and financial resources, covers in-depth topics such as human rights, the environment, economy, and politics, and publishes in five languages.

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January 2024

We talked to Thomas Hedin of the Danish media outlet Tjekdet: “With our biases and the lack of representation in the media, fact-checking becomes even more important.” Do you agree?

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December 2023

Get to know Mutante, a Colombian media outlet that fosters social conversations and innovates at every stage of the media production and distribution process.
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November 2023

We interviewed media leaders from Europe and Latin America who have decided to invest in sales.

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October 2023

We learned about how journalists are creating organizations operated by, and for the benefit of, its members.

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September 2023

In our first edition we explored the relationship between gender and sustainability through the findings of Project Oasis Europe.

SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS

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