Independent journalism, considered slowly.

Why we exist

Media & News demo was founded on a question: what would a publication look like that took the time to be right, instead of the time to be first?

We started in September 2019 with two pieces a week and 320 paid subscribers. Six years later we still publish two pieces a week — mostly. We grew slower than we could have, deliberately. Every full-time journalist we hire is a multi-year commitment; we want to be able to pay them in 2030.

How we’re funded

• Reader subscriptions: 92% of revenue. Currently 38,000+ paid subscribers across 89 countries.
• Foundation grants: 6% of revenue. We accept grants only for specific reporting projects (climate, public-interest tech, regulatory accountability). All grants disclosed at /transparency.
• Sustainer giving: 2% of revenue. Voluntary contributions from subscribers above the standard tier.

What we won’t do

• Display advertising of any kind. We won’t add it. We won’t sell it. We won’t take it.
• Sponsored content. Anywhere. Including newsletter advertising.
• Aggregation. We don’t republish other people’s reporting under our brand.
• Hot-takes or news-cycle reaction. Most of our pieces take six to twelve weeks to report.

Editorial independence

The editorial team and the business team report to the editor-in-chief, not the other way around. Foundation funders never see article drafts before publication. The masthead has full discretion on which subscriber-tier benefits we offer; the business team can’t commit us to features without editorial sign-off. These rules are in our bylaws and audited annually.