a new experience of the news anchored in data transparency and social justice
News media emerged in conjunction with the advertising and subscription revenue models in the 1600s. The citizen experience of news, and the ad and subscription models’ influence on news integrity have changed little in over 400 years.
The emergence of personalized and targeted digital media in the 20th century exposed critical flaws in this model:
- News coverage cannot be funded by the vested interests which it covers
- Access to quality news cannot be limited by a citizen’s wealth or income
- News must be easily distinguishable from entertainment and other forms of content.
ReNews.US proposes to create a completely new citizen experience of the news, supported by a disruptive and sustainable business model.
ReNews Media is incubating this new experience by applying analytics, human-centered design, and machine learning to explore a portfolio of disruptive hypotheses for how the news can better support American democracy. These hypotheses challenge long-held conventions including:
- The news cycle
- The advertising revenue model
- Subscriptions
- The role of news in support of local communities and merchants
- The lifespan of news content
- Access to news by underserved and unserved communities
- The role of citizens in news gathering
- The definition of journalism
- The role of data in news coverage
- Bias in news gathering and publishing
- The definition of a news organization
Visit ReNews Context Services at its new home at ReNews.us.
Ventures we are watching
NewsGuard – From NewsGuard’s Home page: “Get detailed ratings of more than 4000 news websites that account for 95% of online engagement with news. See ratings displayed as icons next to links on all the major search engines, social media sites, and platforms.
See who’s behind each site and whether it has a record of publishing accurate information. Learn how each site fares on the nine journalistic standards NewsGuard uses to assess each site.
Get warnings on new trending misinformation sites as they are flagged and rated by NewsGuard’s 24/7 rapid response SWAT team.”
USAFacts.org – From the About USAFacts page: “USAFacts is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic initiative providing the most comprehensive and understandable source of government data available. We standardize assorted data and present it in plain language with helpful visualizations so you can understand trends in US spending, revenue, population and demographics, and policy outcomes. We do all of this to give Americans the tools to ground public debates in facts. Serious, reasoned, and informed debate on the purpose and functions of government is vital to our democracy.”
Legion M – Legion M is an entertainment company owned by the fans, funded through several successful rounds under Title III of the Jobs Act. They have tens of thousands of investors in amounts as small as a few hundred dollars. Following this model, ReNews aspires to be a news organization owned by the citizen-readers. From the About Legion M page: “INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S FIRST FAN-OWNED ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY – Legion M partners with top Hollywood creators – from independent filmmakers to big Hollywood studios – to produce a slate of movies, TV, and digital content. We’re also the first media company in history designed to be owned by fans. We’re using disruptive new equity crowdfunding laws that allow people to invest as little as $100 to own a piece of the company. An entertainment company owned by fans is more than just a fun idea — it’s the foundation of a business model with the potential to change Hollywood forever. FANS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Individually we are consumers. Together we have the power to shape the industry.
When fans unite, we have power. After all, it’s our eyeballs and wallets that fuel a multi-trillion dollar global entertainment industry. Legion M’s long-term goal is to unite 1 million fans as shareholders of our company. If we achieve that, we’ll have hundreds of millions of dollars to develop projects, with a million people standing behind them when they release. We believe that could make us one of the most influential companies in Hollywood.”
Journalists
ReNews.US is currently developing prototype data journalism at the local, regional and national levels. We are looking for experienced journalists willing to engage on a credited per-project independent contractor basis. Initial focus is on policies driving inequities in wealth and income.
Donors
ReNews Context Services is applyng to become a California 501C3 nonprofit context journalism newsroom. We are accepting donations through our nonprofit sponsor Community Ventures.
Headquarters
Reconstitution, Inc. is a virtual company based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Contact Us
contact@reconstitution.com