Podcast: GlobalPost aims to give users a seat at the editorial meeting
Despite the bleak economy and journalism landscape, there are individuals and companies trying to innovate and deliver new journalism projects.
GlobalPost.com, the foreign news startup based in Boston, is one of the most ambitious. Foreign news has always been expensive, and it was one of the first things traditional metro newspapers cut. Regardless, editor Charles Sennott and his staff are trying to bring a new model and approach to a very important pillar of journalism.
“It’s been a lot of hard work — no one ever said it would be easy,” Sennott said. “But I also think that we’ve done what we set out to do which is to build a network of very talented reporters: journalists who have a lot of background and grounding in their subjects.”
GlobalPost has a team of 65 people in 45 countries. Correspondent complete a dispatch a week from an area of the world that they are very knowledgeable about. Many of its journalists were former foreign correspondents from companies like The Washington Post and Time Magazine.
We spoke to Sennott only a few months ago, yet GlobalPost.com looks noticeably different and has many new features. The biggest new features are centered around Passport, the premium subscription features of GlobalPost.com. Passport is one of three revenue streams for GlobalPost (advertising and syndication are the others).
The $199-a-year membership (many people such as students, NGOs, military, etc are eligible for discounts) is centered around access and knowledge:
Membership in Passport offers an entrée into GlobalPost’s inner circle. Passport leverages our network of 70 country-based and special beat correspondents to deliver exclusive content on key economic and political events. GlobalPost correspondents have extensive international experience, providing an unmatched view from the ground.
Passport also gives you a significant voice in the news. We invite you to join us in reinventing the media equation, empowering members for the Web 2.0 era. Instead of the old top-down model where editors decide what you need to read, as a Passport member you play an unprecedented role in shaping the stories that get covered, via ForeignDesk, Correspondent Calls and Newsmaker Interviews. Simply put, it’s access that gives you an edge. Moreover, we recognize how busy you are. We help you maximize your knowledge via products that save you time, such as Global 10, Correspondent Alerts, the Editor’s Global Brief and our convenient Monthly Newsletter.
Passport features can range from more in-depth audio interviews that compliment free articles on the site to allowing users to pitch stories to foreign correspondents to being in on conference calls. GlobalPost leaders are hoping to get at least 2,000 Passport subscribers by the end of the year.
“We can have a smaller cohort that we can really interact with,” he said about the promise of Passport.
The user interface has also been updated a bit is more enjoyable to use and look at. As GlobalPost builds out, we’ll probably see more interface tweaks.
Some other topics discussed:
- GlobalPost has begun using social media. What role will social media play in their future?
- How is GlobalPost’s syndication model going?
