What I consider “newsworthy” for Global Dispatches is different from that of most other media outlets. I’m driven by the principles of humanitarian journalism, which stipulates that the news value of a story is derived primarily from the how the story impacts people—wherever they are, whoever they are. There is a moral equivalence to all lives, even if those lives are culturally, politically or geographically distant from the audiences in west. This leads me to cover stories that are generally overlooked by my counterparts and seek perspectives that are generally absent in western media.
If you are a longtime listener and reader, you know this already! If you are newer to Global Dispatches that’s what you can expect.
How are we able to do journalism that is otherwise commercially unviable? In the spirit of transparency, I wanted to share with you our funding streams in 2024:
Here is How Global Dispatches is Funded
Global Dispatches is grateful — and proud! — to have the support of two major philanthropies in 2024: The United Nations Foundation and The Carnegie Corporation of New York. We also earn some revenue from advertising and content partnerships. The content partnerships tend to be funded podcast series on topics that I think the audience would appreciate. We’ve done a bunch of these over the years and have more in store in 2024, including a series taking an in-depth look at the upcoming Summit of the Future at the UN. (More on that soon!)
Graduate schools are our most frequent advertisers. The same schools tend to take out ads year after year, which suggests these ads have some impact. But if you are a regular listener to the podcast, you know that we don’t always carry ads. Probably less than half the 100 episodes we publish each year have ads. (I do not want to burden listeners with irrelevant ads for underwear or pillows — which pay lousy anyway.) Also, in the past, we’ve turned down advertising from entities tied to Gulf monarchies and the tobacco industry. And unlike many publications in the national security and foreign policy space, I’d never take funding from the defense industry. That seems icky to me.
Why Subscriptions Matter
Reader and listener support is an increasingly important part of our revenue mix. Unlike advertising, which can be hit or miss/feast or famine, subscriptions have the potential to provide a relatively stable income stream. It is also where I see the most potential growth opportunity.
I emphasize potential because we are not there yet—but pretty close! The newsletter has just under 11,500 subscribers. (11,461 to be exact). It’s been about six months of publishing this newsletter with a frequency of two or three editions a week, and the number of you who have opted to support our work with a paid subscription is increasing by the week. We’ve just passed $12,700 in gross annualized revenue—what we expect to make per year based on our current number of subscriptions. This basically covers a lot of the fees and operating costs associated with the newsletter and podcast. I’m grateful.
But we can do more with more.
Imagine if we had a full time correspondent at the UN? Or at the African Union headquarters in Adis? Or a dedicated human rights reporter? Or created in-depth serialized podcasts on under covered global issues? Or any of the great suggestions that might emanate from our audience of global affairs professionals? The thing I appreciate about the subscription model is that the sky is the limit. What we can do really depends on how many of you are willing to buy a subscription.
Even if our subscription numbers stay more or less static we will still keep on keeping on. The crisis in Gaza is clearly going to dominate the headlines for the foreseeable future, as will the widening of this conflict in the greater Middle East. We will also see countries around the world start to “Trump Proof” their relationship with the United States to hedge against the election results this November. We’ll cover these stories, for sure. But we will also do what I like to think is our bread-and-butter: offer expert analysis of events, ideas, places, regions, crises, people and trends that are deeply impactful to our world but rarely—if ever—get the attention they deserve. This is always what has distinguished Global Dispatches in the past and it is what we will emphasize going into 2024 — and beyond.
So, a big thank you to those of you who have supported our work thus far.* And a nudge to those of you are considering supporting Global Dispatches with your paid subscription. Your support really does make an impact.
As always,
Mark
*If you are a paid subscriber and would like me to send you a sticker in the mail, reply to this email with your mailing address.