The Journalism Value Loop

The Journalism Value Project

In each episode we interview a manager or journalist from an independent newsroom in Europe, discussing their key challenges and success, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for independent media today. The Loop is Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organised network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism in Europe.

  1. Reflekt’s manager Johanna Weidtmann on how to reach out to new audiences through collaborations with influencers

    04/29/2025

    Reflekt’s manager Johanna Weidtmann on how to reach out to new audiences through collaborations with influencers

    The Loop is a Journalism Value project podcast, brought to you by Reference. We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore  what success and sustainability look like for European independent media today. On today’s episode, we talk to Johanna Weidtmann, the manager of Reflekt, the first independent and non-profit research team in Switzerland. We will talk about the media landscape in Switzerland, why readers lost trust in journalism, and the reasons funding independent media in Switzerland is not as easy as one might think. Independent outlets such as Reflekt point out things that people don't want to be pointed out, and this is one reason many are reluctant to support journalism as a philanthropic cause. Johanna will also share insights about how Reflekt is collaborating with influencers to reach out to new audiences, and how these collaborations bring in new followers and small donors. We’re going to discuss how a potentially new stream of money related to innovation is coming in. These funds are available not from the usual philanthropic sources, but from example, science, or innovation hubs. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    37 min
  2. FTM’s Jan-Willem Sanders on how to use newsletters to grow a significant subscriber base

    03/05/2025

    FTM’s Jan-Willem Sanders on how to use newsletters to grow a significant subscriber base

    The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism. We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today. On today’s episode, we talk to Jan-Willem Sanders, the publisher of Follow the Money, an investigative news outlet based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. FTM is mainly funded by its readers, and focuses on long-term, deep-dive investigations with impact that make change. It publishes stories about the political and financial decision makers and also investigates hidden forces such as lobby groups. In this interview, we talk about the business model of Follow the Money: how it combines its newsletter, a paywall and an app to convert its readers into subscribers. How does it keep its readers engaged with story pitches, and how do they prevent churn? We will also explore topics such as pricing, and how did they design their on-boarding process? Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    40 min
  3. Disclose’s Pierre Liebovici on building resilience against state persecution

    02/25/2025

    Disclose’s Pierre Liebovici on building resilience against state persecution

    The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism. We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today. In this episode, we interview Disclose’s journalist Pierre Leibovici about building resilience in the face of state persecution. Disclose is a French investigative journalism outlet, which has repeatedly reported on state secrets around the arms trade and intelligence cooperation with authoritarian regimes. Most Disclose journalists have been interviewed by the French intelligence services. Most recently, a journalist had her communications surveilled and was detained and interrogated by a counter-terrorism judge. We’re gonna discuss how membership and tracking the impact of investigations help to build resilience in the face of state persecution, and how the newsroom adapted to protect journalists and sources. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

    51 min

About

In each episode we interview a manager or journalist from an independent newsroom in Europe, discussing their key challenges and success, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for independent media today. The Loop is Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organised network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism in Europe.