We are First Draft Media

We believe in the power of journalism to bring dignity, dialogue, and direction to the world. First Draft Media is a social enterprise that aims to support journalists and editors launch new publications that are—or aim to be—consciously commercial in their offering.

In addition to launching new titles, First Draft Media also seeks to support existing publications in determining viable business models, conducting audience and user needs research, news product development, productizing existing journalistic offerings, and reaching audiences in hard-to-reach, heavily censored, and authoritarian environments. First Draft Media develops innovative publishing technologies in support of these aims.

Vision

First Draft Media is a social publisher: a consciously and conscientiously for-profit, social enterprise, publisher and media house. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—Freedom of Expression and its corollaries Press Freedom and Access to Information—lie at the foundation of First Draft Media. It is the founders' firm belief that a free, qualitative and vibrant press in any country, state or other social construct is a necessary requirement for sustainable development, social stability, peace and human dignity. It is the mission of First Draft Media to contribute to this freedom of the press in various ways.

First Draft Media does not pursue profits per sé, but carefully avoids the opposite: donor dependence. First Draft Media seeks to reinvest the profits from its economic activities in the media ecosystem and the start-up and scale-up of the (niche) publications and publishing platforms that it cooperates with.

Media as business

Under free media conditions, publishers pursue their core, journalistic mission using commercial propositions (advertising, subscriptions, membership, etc.) Philanthropy and donor funding have a role to play, but that does not absolve publishers from thinking about their audiences’ needs, and their operations as a commercial business first.

Media in authoritarian environments

Because of its vision rooted in Article 19 of the UDHR, First Draft Media is naturally drawn to publications for and in authoritarian contexts. Especially where media aren’t free to pursue independent journalism, donor funding has an important role to play. But here too, it is our strong belief that excessive donor dependency hurts the sustainability and long-term viability of media.

Mission

First Draft Media launches new titles and publications, and supports existing journalistic organizations as well. First Draft Media support journalistic platforms that often—though not always—occupy a particular niche or fulfill a specific audience need. First Draft Media does so in order to foster a pluralistic media environment even in those places that are most hostile to a free and independent press. To these aims, First Draft Media implements a set of activities that centers the audience, puts the publisher first, and develops innovative publishing technologies and solutions.