Digital - Wednesday, April 15, 2009 15:44 - 1 Comment

Online fund-raising experiment by The Tyee pays off

The Vancouver-based Tyee online publication has raised almost $15,000 in donations since it asked readers to give money to pay for provincial election coverage.

The experiment has exceeded the expectations of Tyee editor David Beers, who expects contributions to hit $15,000.  That amounts to double its monthly reporting budget.

The appeal comes as Canwest, the owner of the two Vancouver daily newspapers (the Vancouver Sun and Province) is cutting costs and negotiating with creditors on a CDN$3.7 billion debt.

The Tyee also asked its donors to tell it what matters most to them. After the initial few days, corruption topped the list of issues, followed closely by environment, housing/homelessness/poverty, and education.

In the video interview after the break, Beers talks about the reasons behind the appeal and whether this is a potential new funding model for journalism.

Continue…