Crowdfunded visual journalism

March 24, 2011 10:40 PM

Emphas.is is a site where photojournalists can pitch ideas to be funded by many small donations, i.e. crowdfund them. So far nine projects have been pitched, covering a range of subjects, from the Uyghur in western China to life in Greenwood, Mississippi. Each project has a short introductory video and all are interesting in their own right. So are the descriptions and photographs that accompany the projects. The blog is worth checking out as well, especially the interviews with journalists, such as the four women who want to document a mass rape that happened last year in the Congo and a project about communism in Laos. The FAQ explains Emphas.is and how crowdfunding works in greater detail.
posted by Kattullus (3 comments total)

it looks like 2011 will be the year of crowdfunding clones.

but at 15% commission v. 5%, with no serious value add, these guys will be walked over by kickstarter.
posted by jannw at 2:49 AM on March 25, 2011

I like the idea though. 15% does seem expensive when compared to Kickstarter (but 5% is pretty low and will be hard to beat for any competitor), however I think there remains a market for things like this. And we, for certain, need more ways to fund serious investigative journalism and it seems to me crowd-funding goes hand-in-hand with the integrity required. Nothing is expected in return.
posted by angrywayne at 7:06 AM on March 25, 2011

5% is pretty low???

not if it is loss leader for Amazon payments.
posted by jannw at 10:03 AM on March 25, 2011