Peirspictiochtai Ar An Saol
Zero-Based News
Part Nine
Beyond businesses and private individuals that provide news to the American people, non-profit organizations also provide news to people in this country.
In some cases, that news coverage by some non-profit organizations is highly localized – to a city or town, to a county or county-equivalent, or to a region. Some non-profit organizations focus on news coverage for a state or commonwealth, while a few are national in their scope of news coverage.
As with businesses and private individuals that provide news, non-profit organizations may also have specific philosophies and/or specific motivations that influence and impact their news coverage.
To be successful – to exist – non-profit organizations that provide news may have multiple audiences that need to be accommodated. For example, a non-profit organization may focus on the views of those who manage and staff the non-profit organization. That same non-profit organization may also need to meet specific standards set by those that provide funding. In addition, that same non-profit organization may also need to meet specific expectations of the audience for which they strive to provide news.
Balancing those multiple audiences is critical to the success of many non-profit organizations that provide news.
Key motivations for news usually come from within a specific non-profit organization itself. Typically, the type of news coverage of a non-profit organization is set by policies enacted by its board of directors. Management of a non-profit organization then enacts those policies with instructions to the staff of the non-profit organization.
Those motivations for a specific non-profit organization may also be based on the views of those that provide the funding for that non-profit organization. In other words, the news coverage provided by a specific non-profit organization may be based on what those that fund the specific non-profit organization determine to be news.
The entities that provide funding may include those that donate money without conditions, those that provide funding for specific purposes, and those that provide funding through sponsorships and/or advertisements.
In some cases, governmental entities provide funding to non-profit organizations to provide news.
Those that fund a specific non-profit organization may or may not influence – directly or indirectly – the news provided by a specific non-profit organization.
Some non-profit organizations have very detailed standards to avoid conflicts of interest with funders.
Central to the success of a non-profit organization providing news is its potential and actual audience. Focusing on a specific audience is an important decision for a specific non-profit organization. The type of news coverage will generally flow from that decision.
A non-profit organization that provides highly localized news may decide not to include any news that does not align with its specific geographical focus. That may or may not mean that an issue that may affect a portion of the potential audience for news would not receive news about that issue beyond what is happening in the specific geographic area.
A non-profit organization that provides news coverage more broadly – throughout a region, a state or commonwealth, or nationally – may decide to focus on specific types of issues. That may or may not mean that an issue that may affect a portion of the potential audience for news would not receive news about that issue beyond what a specific non-profit organization considers to be news to be included in its news coverage.
While there may be an audience for a specific type of news, a specific non-profit organization needs for that audience to provide sufficient funding through subscriptions, needs for that audience to fit the guidelines for others that might be willing to provide funding, and/or needs that audience to fit the market desired by sponsors and/or advertisers.
If that audience is not willing to provide sufficient funding through subscriptions, does not fit the guidelines for others that might be willing to provide funding, and/or does not fit the audience desired by sponsors and/or advertisers, then a specific non-profit organization may decide it can no longer provide news to that audience.
Much as with a business or a private individual providing news, if funds are not sufficient to cover the costs of providing the news, the specific non-profit organization may decide to no longer provide news coverage.
The next news column in this series will focus on how news becomes news depending on who controls journalism.
Peirspictiochtai Ar A Saol – Gaelic – Irish – for "Perspectives On Life" is a column focused on aspects of accountability and responsibility as well as ways people look at life.
Contact Richard McDonough at
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