Participating Creators

Overview

Professional Backgrounds

Indie info providers are navigating instability in the journalism industry. There is no single pathway to become an indie info provider or even consensus on how they refer to themselves.

Professional Development

Indie info providers are learning on the job, together. Learning from — and with — peers from similar backgrounds represents an opportunity.

Credibility

Indie info providers are bridging humanity and rigor. In contrast with legacy journalism, they tend to marry authenticity with authority, with a very clear sense of their voice and the way they build credibility with their audiences.

Distribution Platforms

Indie info providers are offsetting risk with a multiplatform distribution strategy. Similar to many other kinds of information providers, they feel pressure to be everywhere at once online.

Making Money

Indie info providers are struggling to build sustainable revenue. Interviewees have similar financial challenges to both legacy journalism and other new small businesses.

Going Solo

Indie info providers are finding this work fulfilling but difficult. Like other early entrepreneurs, interviewees tend to work alone, and a lot – as one described it, “every waking hour” – with time divided between the content and the business.

About This Study

Participating Creators

Parallel Study: Sneak Peek