Independent internet media

March 16, 2005 9:36 AM

Examples of news websites that are are independently owned? I'm interested in sites that generate news (as opposed to just commentary), and that are not owned by traditional media outlets (as opposed to sites like Slate, which is owned by Washington Post).
posted by Polonius to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

The Christian Science Monitor is owned by the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 9:42 AM on March 16, 2005

Response by poster: Sorry, I may have garbled that question a bit. I meant sites that are not owned by a traditional media outlet. The CSM website, I assume, is owned by the newspaper.
posted by Polonius at 9:48 AM on March 16, 2005

Salon.com.
posted by ldenneau at 10:11 AM on March 16, 2005

indymedia, alternet
posted by amberglow at 10:15 AM on March 16, 2005

Wikipedia sort of fits.
posted by desuetude at 10:44 AM on March 16, 2005

Talon News. Oh wait.
posted by sachinag at 11:09 AM on March 16, 2005

I'm not sure that the question is still clear. Are you looking for online-only news-generating sites (Slate-preWP, Salon)? Or would a combined print-online news site fit what you're looking for? Because if the answer to the latter question is "yes", then a google search on

alternative newspaper online

will find you plenty of independently owned news sites that use content that also appears in the printed editions.

If the answer is "no", that you're looking for a totally Web-only newspaper, then I think you'll find very few examples, because of the magic two words "business model". No one knows how to make a Web-only news-generating business (reporters, editors, software, hardware, bandwidth) pay for itself (and Salon is barely hanging on).

Having said that, I seem to recall (can't find the link) that someone was gearing up (a few months ago) to start a volunteer-based (?)community (?) online-only newspaper in Texas (Dallas? Houston?), with the idea of replicating the business if it proved successful. There seemed to be some money behind the site, and a professional managing editor, if I recall correctly.
posted by WestCoaster at 12:31 PM on March 16, 2005

Response by poster: WestCoaster,

Thanks. I'm looking for online-only news-generating sites, yes.
posted by Polonius at 1:27 PM on March 16, 2005

Alternet comes to mind, and, of course, Drudge. The distinction between commentary and news-gathering is a bit blurrier than some would have you believe; depending on where you draw the line, there are plenty of blogs that could be considered to occasionally do "reporting." The Memory Hole, which mostly files FOIA requests and puts up copies of leaked memos, reports, sites that have been taken down, etc., and which broke the Dover AFB Iraq coffin photos, is a good example. Capitol Hill Blue, while gossipy and unreliable, certainly has some reportage. The various Mac rumor sites which are now getting sued can certainly claim to have been doing original reporting.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 7:49 PM on March 16, 2005

Per this article in Slate, you might look at:

Greensboro101.com - "Citizen's Media"

backfence.com - "The first Backfence.com hyperlocal sites will be launched in Reston and McLean, Va., in Spring 2005"
posted by WestCoaster at 3:45 PM on April 12, 2005