Globalpost tries to save journalism by a for-profit business model, in which profits come from three sources: online ads, subscriptions, and syndication. The website looks professional, although the text/images need to be integrated better (In the articles, you have to scroll quite far to get to the words). It’s a bold venture, especially in these economic climes, but the NY Times reports that they’ve already raised 6.8 million from investors, and they’re smart to pick a niche in reporting that is not easily covered and has been drastically reduced by the latest newspaper downsizings. Lastly, I’m torn about the name: international appeal, but sounds like the fake name of a newspaper in a superhero movie or in a satire of a Bladerunner world.
One of the more unique aspects of Globalpost is the crowdsourcing idea of letting readers — the paid subscribers, that is — offer ideas for content:
As an active member in an elite community, you’re invited to present story ideas on topics you think matter, stories that you want to read and share with your Passport colleagues. Each week, we’ll post the top ideas, and you’ll get to vote on which ones we assign to our correspondents.
Democratic Journalism? Investigative reporting by popular vote? We’ll see how that works out.
