LAUSANNE, Switzerland — NonDoc publishes two main types of content: commentaries and reportage. While our commentators submit their opinionated articles freely and without compensation, we strive to pay for objective articles grounded in traditional journalism.
We started the Writers’ Fund in July as a way of attracting and paying talented journalists. As the year comes to a close, I want to thank all the dedicated readers who have contributed to our Writers’ Fund.
In 2016, the money you contributed allowed us to contract writers to do in-depth reporting on such topics as the Innocence Project of Oklahoma, supporting local black-led businesses in northeast OKC, and an interview with Donna Nelson, the scientific advisor for the hit TV show Breaking Bad.
My favorite of these pieces focused on the Innocence Project, which fights for for people whom the U.S. justice system has wronged.
The release of De’Marchoe Carpenter and Malcolm Scott due to wrongful convictions opens the door for many other wrongfully convicted inmates to be reviewed and potentially set free. Through monetary contributions from readers, we were able to pay a reporter to cover the Innocence Project and the opportunities they afford to those who desperately need help.
A challenge for you
To support more stories like this, I’d like to give you a challenge: Can we get 10 new Writers’ Fund contributors before the end of the year? Ten new donors at even $15 a month will generate more than a dozen new articles involving in-depth research and interviews on topics affecting our communities.
Good reporting is important but not easy. First of all, good reporting takes time. A journalist has to spend as much time as possible with the subject, whether it’s a person or a topic. They work to find at least three interviews and three sources.
Facts have to be checked. And double-checked. And triple-checked. When information cannot be corroborated, we have to say so.
Stories should be fair and impartial, as there are multiple sides to every issue. The reporting should be balanced and give context.
These time-consuming processes make for good journalism, and good journalism deserves to be compensated so you, the reader, can trust NonDoc as a source for news and information.
And that’s our No. 1 goal.
To become a Writers’ Fund contributor, click here.
