From Philanthropy to Democracy: Rethinking Governance and Funding of High-Quality News in the Digital Age

This chapter argues that quality news is a public good essential for democratic societies, yet it is currently under-provided and under-consumed. It examines why this issue persists in contemporary democracies and proposes solutions for long-term financing and capitalization of news media while maintaining independence. The chapter introduces a "non-profit media organization" model that uses digital technologies to decouple philanthropic funding from direct control over media content.