Indie • in-depth online news agency to “bridge the gap” and “connect the dots” with a critical and constructive mind on development and environmental policies in Thailand and the Mekong region: to deliver meaningful messages and create the big picture critical to public understanding and decision-making, thus truly being the public’s critical voice
From the beginning, it started from zero: a news agency we intended to explore the advantages of online and social media platforms to expand the horizons of knowledge and inspiration, and, more importantly, of media freedom and independence.
Having been in the media realm for some time and experienced how the media are under pressure, the idea of creating an independent, in-depth news agency is nothing but apprehension. The more journalists work, the heavier “the ceiling” becomes for conveying meaningful messages that inform and inspire people.
Aside from political pressure, fierce competition and new pressures from rapid changes in the media landscape have led to declining revenues and a near-collapse of the industry. The more the industry crumbles, the lower the ceiling, and the less meaningful the messages become.
To say the least, the media here are struggling hard to survive. Without freedom from these pressures, we would eventually have no journalistic integrity left. Hence, the media need to be free from such pressures. They need to maintain their independence and critical, constructive minds so they can convey meaningful messages to the people once again.
This is particularly critical when our society is in transition and needs to be well-informed and inspired. A new model for the media is, therefore, desperately needed to offer us a chance. And coming up with an idea to set up a so-called “media social enterprise“, for one, is nothing but an attempt to keep media freedom and independence intact.
As a non-profit social enterprise, it will be more flexible in garnering support from various sources. A mix of support, from project-based collaboration to public patronage and contributions, could offer new hope. Without dependence on commercials and other influences, a media social enterprise could remain independent, perform at its best, and be critical and constructive as supposed to.
It could then help “bridge the gap” and “connect the dots” to deliver meaningful messages and create an in-depth, complete picture for people to see and understand the challenges so that they can make better decisions for their lives and society.
These are the reasons we at Bangkok Tribune have been working to realise the idea of establishing such a news agency.
With “zero” initial capital, some small pocket money, and the help of technology, it has been proven that such a news agency can be set up. Hence, we would like to invite you to join us in exploring the possibility of establishing an independent, in-depth news agency that upholds a critical, constructive mindset to serve the public as its critical voice.
Your support will be invaluable at this crucial moment. We thank you in advance for your consideration and hope you will join us in this mission.
Or contact us for more details and a full proposal @ [email protected]