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creating small media
Mutual aid
How to find supporters and why mutual support provides journalists with independence
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Why is mutual aid important?
Mutual aid between journalists, activists, researchers and publishers is a defining factor in small media development. Small media have to stick together, because they are opposed by large commercial media. It is not only the struggle for attention that unites them, but their independence as a common value and a basis of mutual solidarity.
Access to modern technology in the media environment is disproportionate, and in circumstances of media convergence it is harder for small media to follow trends or to set them. It is harder for small projects to master new formats because our possibilities are always limited – whether by budget, lack of technology or smaller staff. You can make your project more stable by sharing between mutually trusting projects. You can share equipment (computers or cameras), video, audio and photo materials, and databases.
A network of small media located in the same city can create common safe spaces and put them on the local cultural map. Cultural spaces tailored for the needs of projects can be created, such as studios, coworking spaces, storage spaces and clubs.
Access to modern technology in the media environment is disproportionate, and in circumstances of media convergence it is harder for small media to follow trends or to set them. It is harder for small projects to master new formats because our possibilities are always limited – whether by budget, lack of technology or smaller staff. You can make your project more stable by sharing between mutually trusting projects. You can share equipment (computers or cameras), video, audio and photo materials, and databases.
A network of small media located in the same city can create common safe spaces and put them on the local cultural map. Cultural spaces tailored for the needs of projects can be created, such as studios, coworking spaces, storage spaces and clubs.
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How does mutual aid help the development of small media?
Mutual aid is beneficial in several ways. It will:
- Attract new loyal audiences by way of mutual promotion;
- Save you money on advertising and attract new cash to the project;
- Generate informational (and maybe legal or financial) help in cases of emergency;
- Facilitate the exchange of skills and experiences with your colleagues, which will come in handy in the long run;
- Help you invent new, original work formats, and give rise to new joint multimedia projects and materials;
- Widen your social media audience via mutual reposts and cross-publication of friendly channels or pages.
In some cases mutual aid is crucial, when collaborating will give us insights into areas where we might lack some specific knowledge or experience. Sometimes it might be less important but still be something we want to do because it is interesting or will help us reach people through other networks.
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How to establish friendly relationships with other small media projects?
Be open to new collaborations and partnerships. Meet up during friendly offline events, don't be shy to show initiative and offer your help. Follow the work of other media activists closely.
Support your colleagues in difficult situations – solidarity produces solidarity. Always remember that, even if your views are not completely the same, most likely you are involved in an important common cause – you work to cultivate freedom of speech and critical, exploratory cultural expressions in your country.
Support your colleagues in difficult situations – solidarity produces solidarity. Always remember that, even if your views are not completely the same, most likely you are involved in an important common cause – you work to cultivate freedom of speech and critical, exploratory cultural expressions in your country.
We certainly believe in such cooperation. In a globalized world, journalists and media need to start cooperating more. But for now, we are still too small an actor for larger leaks and data exchanges. But this is something we should work to improve. As of now, all our reporting is free to translate and publish, including all the photography we've published. That's our contribution. A number of media have regularly re-published our material. We also have this project called Postcard, which features local journalists around the world describing their daily lives.
Blankspot
Blankspot Project is a citizen financed online media outlet, focusing on the media blank spots of the world
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