Focus: crowdfunded news, trend stories around San Francisco area; investigative

Launched: 2008

Employees/Writers: Founded by David Cohn, who is also director; staff of 2 — Mr. Cohn and Kara Andrade, a “five-year veteran of multimedia journalism, print and online, who uses social media to bridge the world of newspapers, technologists and entrepreneurs to present relevant, accessible and edgy stories”; freelance reporters are paid; 9-member board of advisors; 8-member community advisory board;

Funding: “community funded” (crowdfunded), non-profit project through the Center for Media Change; $340,000 seed money provided by the Knight Foundation; also sponsored by Full Circle Fund

Spot.Us pitches story ideas to the public, or receives story ideas from the public or journalists, at varying costs. The stories are funded through direct donation drives; the business model has received heavy press attention and is being closely watched by the industry as a possible journalistic funding alternative 

“1) People submit tips 2) Journalist pitch stories 3) People fund pitches 4) Stories are reported anyone can publish”

Site: spot.us

We are an open source project, to pioneer ‘community funded reporting.’ Through Spot.Us the public can commission journalists to do investigations on important and perhaps overlooked stories. … It’s a marketplace where independent reporters, community members and news organizations can come together and collaborate.

Sample stories: “Ethanol could be a weak link in state’s energy network”; “The return of the Hooverville: Car and tent cities on the rise in San Francisco”; “A day in the life of a turd: Sludge and lifecycle of human waste”; “In spite of gloom, Muni expects to improve commuter service”

Sample story pitches, unfunded as of June 5, 2009:  ”City budget blues: Covering San Francisco’s half-billion hole”, pitched by Public-Press, a SF nonprofit news outlet, $310 raised, $4,690 needed

“Almost funded” as of June 5, 2009: “Civilian oversight of police in Oakland — breaking the wall of silence”, $798 raised, $202 needed ; “The stories behind empty storefronts in the Mission”; “Bay Area toxic tour”, $1,193 raised, $307 needed

Other: Knight Foundation’s 5 Questions for David Cohn, here

Focus: Online-only news source for SF, “San Francisco’s online newspaper” 

Launched: March 2009

Employees/writers: 16 contributors/staff, 4 interns. Unclear whether any are paid. Founded by Eve Batey, the former San Francisco Chronicle deputy online manager. Business: Appeal Media LLC

Content includes original news articles, multi-media, sports, entertainment; some aggregated material, photos, multi-media –  see “Everyone Else’s Top Headlines” news roundup including AP material

Site: sfappeal.com

Sample stories: “Translink not BART ready yet”; “Police: SF to become fraud capital of world”; “Newsom: Loss of 49ers is SF’s economic gain”

Funding: Advertising

Focus: “Non-commercial news for the Bay Area”; claims “print, web, radio, TV” outlets

Launched: Founded 2007

Employees/Writers: 1 staff, a news editor; 50+ “local volunteers, supporters, and contributors” which include employed and former print reporters, designers, multi-media producers, photographers, a first amendment lawyer, radio journalist, book authors; building online community “to solicit ideas”; employs experienced journalists; headed by a 12-person steering committee

Funding: non-profit — donations so far from 50 individuals and the San Franscisco Foundation; and “fiscally sponsored” by the Independent Arts & Media of San Francisco, a 501(c)3

Site: public-press.org

From mission statement in strategic plan:

The
 Public
 Press 
is 
a 
startup
 nonprofit
 news 
organization 
that
 aims
 to
 strengthen 
reporting
 on general‐interest 
and
 under‐covered 
topics 
in
 the
 San
 Francisco
 Bay
 Area 
through 
a
 daily
 web
 site 
and,
 eventually, 
a
 print
 newspaper.

…

In
 addition
 to 
original 
reporting, 
The 
Public 
Press
 will 
create
 content
 and
 distribution 
partnerships 
with 
an
 existing
 web
 of 
local 
independent
 and 
public
 media.
 By 
sharing 
technology
 and
 skills,
 member networks
 can
 work
 together
 to
 encourage 
civic 
engagement
 and
 enhance
 communication
 among neighborhoods,
 ethnic
 groups, 
and
 shared interest 
communities
 that
 make
 up
 San
 Francisco.

Sample stories: “July 1 budget to trim homeless and AIDS support”; “Ideologies continue to divide same-sex marriage issue”; “Cabbies steamed over proposed taxi overhaul”

Its strategic plan for 2009-2011.