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In an era where the traditional means for funding journalism projects have all but evaporated, David Cohn has a sharp sense of where the future of journalism is heading. As

Issues:

In an era where the traditional means for funding journalism projects have all but evaporated, David Cohn has a sharp sense of where the future of journalism is heading. As the founder and ringleader of Spot.us, David’s ideas have materialized into an open source platform that has pioneered an innovative, original model of”community funded reporting”:

Through Spot.us the public can commission journalists to do investigations on important and perhaps overlooked stories. All donations are tax deductible and if a news organization buys exclusive rights to the content, your donation will be reimbursed. Otherwise, all content is made available to all through a Creative Commons license. It’s a marketplace where independent reporters, community members and news organizations can come together and collaborate.

We dig it so much that we have launched a LittleSis project on Spot.us.  Titled “Who’s Behind the Bay Area’s Most Powerful Companies?, we’re leveraging synergy between the Spot.us and LittleSis communities to investigate and articulate the networks of wealth and influence that sustain the most powerful companies in the Bay Area.  Specifically, here’s what we’re hoping to cook up:

  1. A database containing in-depth profiles on at least 25 Bay Area organizations, 100+ executive board members, and 1,000+ inter-connections with affiliated organizations and personnel.
  2. A visualization (map or interactive graph) depicting the most noteworthy connections
  3. 2-3 news-style reports and informational press releases related to our findings.

We Need Your Support. Our ability to complete this project directly relies upon small donations from supporters of LittleSis fans, like-minded organizations, and individuals with a vested interest in the Bay Area Community.  Visit the pitch page on Spot.us for more information.