For News Organizations

Why do We Need Approval to get started?

News organizations have a special role in WNYmedia and Vox Buffalo. They are the only type of user that is allowed to donate more than 20% of a pitch’s goal. As such, we interview news organizations to ensure they ascribe to journalistic ethics as described by the Society of Professional Journalists. We realize that a waiting period before you become a “news organization” on Vox Buffalo is less than ideal, but it is important to us that these ethics are followed by anybody that could singlehandedly fund an investigation.

Advice On Working With Us and How to bolster your freelance budget.

Vox Buffalo is an opportunity to bolster your freelance budget by working with and for the public. We only work with freelancers, we cannot support staff writers. But if you do work or want to procure freelance work, perhaps part of their wage can be shared with the public. You can donate 50% of their freelance salary upfront and the Vox Buffalo community can fund raise the other 50%. Your organization will still get first publishing rights. Or you can register on Vox Buffalo and find out about high quality articles that have been 100% community funded, so the reporting comes from a professional reporter, but you can run the content for free.

Here are the various ways your organization can get involved

• Vox Buffalo content that is 100% community funded is made available for free to news organizations to republish. Register on the site and we’ll let you know when content is going to be published.
• Donate 50% of the value of an investigation and you’ll get exclusive rights. (This is only available until the investigation has reached 51% funding through community donations, so get in the game early).
• Donate 100% of the value of an investigation and you’ll get exclusive rights. You can do this at any time – all extra proceeds will be given back to community members to invest in another pitch. This is a way to build a new relationship with your audience. They’ll love you for refunding them and it’s a built in audience.
• We encourage you to donate small amounts as well. Even a tiny donations from a news organization can be the push to give a pitch the momentum it needs to get community funding – and you are welcome to the final content or even to apply as a peer-review editor.