Since their crowdfunding campaign in 2013, Dutch online medium De Correspondent has grown to 60,000 members. Now, they are working on an international expansion, with an English-language platform planned for late 2018. At a time when trust in journalism is at an ultimate low, and that silver bullet for the revenue stream question remains elusive, De Correspondent is often seen as an example for a member-supported model.
But guess what: the truth is – as always – far messier than the success story you hear about. Behind every milestone with De Correspondent members, there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears – awkward moments, and even total f*** ups. In this fun session for journalists and editors who want to develop meaningful relationships with readers, editors (and former journalists) Maaike Goslinga and Jessica Best will share De Correspondent’s worst f*** ups with you so that you don’t have to make these mistakes yourself .
Then, in a one-hour workshop (call it group therapy…) they will invite you to share your own professional f*** ups and fears through a series of games and interactive activities – designed with the help of a De Correspondent member who is also a therapist.
It’s going to get awkward. But as any therapist knows, sharing can be cathartic, and help us move forward to better relationships with our readers, and one another.
