The Correspondent: Designed for trust

Trust in the media is in decline. In a 2017 survey by Reuters, less than half the people interviewed across 36 countries said they ‘trusted the news’. 

Just as media outlets are losing trust, they are also struggling for revenue. The industry’s ad-dependent models now overwhelmingly reward the dominant tech platforms over publishers and journalists. Driven by clicks, our news is skewed from considered reportage to sensationalism, further eroding its credibility.

The Correspondent’s unique ‘membership model’ gives their journalists the time to have more meaningful conversations with their readers. Members contribute to the reporting process and journalists listen to their audience, building trust and discovering the topics which matter most to them. Members pay a monthly or annual fee but can share all published content with non-members for free.

Meanwhile, only the minimum user data required to operate is collected from readers – and it is never shared with third parties. Originally launching De Correspondent in the Netherlands, the founders showed that it is possible to deliver powerful stories and build deep reader trust without relying on advertising or data collection.

Luminate is supporting them with a $950,000 investment to help them prepare for their member recruitment campaign.