Editing Journalistic objectivity (section)

== Crowdfunding ==
Recently,{{Since when|date=July 2024}} many scholars and journalists have increasingly become attuned to the shifts occurring within the newspaper industry, and general upheaval of the journalistic environment, as it adjusts to the new [[digital era]] of the 21st century.<ref name=":72">{{cite journal |last1=Hunter |first1=Andrea |title=Crowdfunding independent and freelance journalism: Negotiating journalistic norms of autonomy and objectivity |journal=New Media & Society |date=February 2015 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=272–288 |doi=10.1177/1461444814558915 |s2cid=21039809 }}</ref> In the face of this, the practice of [[crowdfunding]] is increasingly being utilized by journalists to fund independent and/or alternative projects,<ref name=":72"/> establishing it as another relevant alternative practice to consider in the discussion of journalistic objectivity. Crowdfunding allows journalists to pursue stories of interest to them or that otherwise may not be covered adequately for a number of reasons.<ref name=":72"/> Crowdfunding supports journalists by funding necessary components like reporting equipment, computers, travel expenses if necessary, and overhead costs like office space or paying other staff on their team.<ref name=":72" /> A key component of crowdfunding and a significant motivator for journalists to use it is the lack of corporate backing.<ref name=":72" /> This means that the journalist has the autonomy to make editorial decisions at their sole discrection but there is equally no financial support.

According to a study conducted by Hunter (2014), journalists engaged in a crowdfunding campaign all held a similar opinion that their funders did not have control over the content and that it was the journalist who maintained ultimate jurisdiction.<ref name=":72"/> However, this pronouncement was complicated by the sense of accountability or responsibility incited in journalists towards their funders.<ref name=":72"/> Hunter (2014) notes that this may have the effect of creating a power imbalance between funders and the journalist, as journalists want to maintain editorial control, but it is in fact the funders that decide whether the project will be a success or not.<ref name=":72"/>

To combat this, Hunter (2014) proposes the following strategies that journalists may employ to maintain a more objective approach if desired:<ref name=":72"/>

* Constructing an imaginary 'firewall' between themselves and their audiences
* Limiting investment from any single source 
* Clearly defining the relationship they desire with funders at the outset of the project

The type of relationship and potential pressures the journalist may feel depends on the type of investor with whom they are working, as there are passive and active investors. Passive investors will not be involved beyond making a donation on the crowdfunding platform, leaving everything up to the discretion of the journalist.<ref name=":72"/>  In contrast, active investors have a more active role in the production of the journalistic piece, which can take various forms that may include the investor providing feedback or ideas as well as receiving early copies of the work prior to its public release.<ref name=":72"/>

Some journalists from the study firmly held the opinion that impartial accounts and a detached, namely "objective", reporting style should continue to govern, even within a crowdfunding context.<ref name=":72"/> Others, however, advocated that [[Point of view (philosophy)|point-of-view]] journalism and accurate reporting are not [[Mutual exclusivity|mutually exclusive]] ideals, and thus journalists still may ascribe to quality factual reporting, sans the traditional practices or understanding of objectivity.<ref name=":72"/>

The study on crowdfunding done by Hunter (2014) showed that audiences are keen to fund projects with a specific point of view or pieces of [[advocacy journalism]].<ref name=":72"/> Journalists are often using crowdfunding to pursue stories with a point-of-view that large corporations do not pursue adequately.<ref name=":72"/> The journalist explains the goal of the work they are trying to pursue and what resources are needed for it on crowdfunding platforms. Based on this information, funders decide to contribute or not.<ref name=":72"/> The desire or acceptance of opinionated journalism is especially clear with passive investors because they donate based on the journalist's pitch and let the journalist produce what they want. They essentially just want to support the journalist as an individual and allow them the freedom to pursue the project.