A survey of 312 independent newsrooms, the largest of its kind, finds a sector that is growing faster than most people realise and more fragile than its fans admit.
Most are small: five people or fewer. Two-thirds are funded mainly by reader memberships. The most successful share a few traits: a clear local beat, a direct relationship with readers and a refusal to chase scale for its own sake.
The survey also found a sector that is overwhelmingly optimistic. Eighty-one percent of newsroom founders said they expected to be operating in five years. “We keep waiting for someone to tell us it can’t be done,” one said. “We’re too busy doing it.”
