What 9 European news startups can teach us

A new study of nine entrepreneurial journalism ventures in France, Germany and Italy offers insight into the current industry crisis as well as hope for the future.

 University of Oxford and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism have just published an online book, “Survival is Success: Journalistic Online Startups in Western Europe,” by Nicola Bruno and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. Among their observations:

•  There is no single formula that works for all. "New ventures can succeed in many different ways."

France: Paywall works for investigative journalism site

 

The online investigative publication that recently reported French President Nicolas Sarkozy received 50 million euros in campaign support from Libya in 2007 is an anomaly: a profitable subscription-only service that accepts no advertising.

Mediapart is showing that in the right circumstances, an investigative news organization can be a viable business.