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3 out of 10 journalism startups don’t have a business plan

avatar by Published Nov. 16, 2011 4:17 pm Updated Nov. 16, 2011 4:34 pm

Renaissance Journalism Center
A survey of people leading journalism startups finds that “the typical management team is top-heavy with journalists … Nevertheless, the respondents said that journalists can make good business people. More than 86% said journalists can adapt and apply the discipline of business to an online venture.” Having relied on grants to get off the ground, most of the respondents said they’re having trouble getting further funding and need help figuring out how to become sustainable. || Related: New Knight study identifies 3 surprising keys to nonprofit news business success (Poynter.org) | Tom McGeveran: “What tends to be forgotten in all the praise for the philanthropic model is that big handouts can come with a price.” (CJR)

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  • http://howardowens.com Howard Owens

    Terribly flawed study.  The for-profits were nearly completely ignored.  I know I wasn’t asked to respond to the survey and I see very few of my for-profit colleagues included.

  • Anonymous

    it is obvious that the journalists/editors who decided to give away on the internet what they were still trying to sell had a fundamentally flawed business plan. and why couldn’t they see it?

  • Reykjavik

    “journalists can make good business people”

    Sometimes, but not usually. Journalists fall prey to their own false expertise. I always chuckle when I see a journalist appear on a news show as a purported expert on a topic, even though the reporter’s knowledge is mainly limited to interviewing folks who are the true experts and writing a story or two. The same thing is at play here — the concepts of business are simple enough, but the complexity is in the execution. If you haven’t done it before, you’re a novice, no matter how many blog posts you’ve read about digital business models. The newsrooms of America are littered with editors who think they’re smarter business people they actually are. (I’m still waiting for the day when a business leader or entrepreneur without editorial background is appointed editor.)