Americans of all occupations and interests understand that journalism is an unstable profession and job market. Jobs are hard to come by and only pay a meager salary and the time commitment to be an adequate reporter is immense and stressful.

One would imagine that with that description, journalism as an industry and fourth estate of this country is headed for a downward spiral. But I could not disagree more. There is a terrifically exciting trend developing in the world of reporting — the assembly of multiple talented journalists on small, specialized, digital projects.

In 2007, Paul Steiger, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, left his position after 16 years to found ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that produces “journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them,” according to its website.

Ezra Klein, winner of various awards for his work as a columnist at The Washington Post, abandoned ship in January 2014 to work on what he called “Project X” with several other journalists. He said in a Jan. 27 interview with Poynter that his and his colleagues’ new publication will aim to, “create a site that’s as good at explaining the world as it is at reporting on it.”

On Feb. 9, Bill Keller of The New York Times announced he would leave his top position at the world-renowned paper to become the editor-in-chief of the nonprofit The Marshall Project, a startup of 20-30 employees that will report solely on the flaws of the American justice system.

Perhaps the most notable venture of them all is First Look Media, a for-profit company funded by a $250 million check from the bank account of Pierre Omidyar, billionaire founder of eBay. First Look Media will release multiple specialized digital publications and online magazines, all of which will be curated from well-known, well-respected journalists.

The success of these ventures is contingent upon them attracting top-level reporting talent. One bad article can tarnish a startup’s reputation and direct attention away from this new wave of innovation. That’s what makes even the smallest nonprofit so risky. But journalists like Steiger, Klein and Keller have a safety net: specialization.

What’s interesting about each of these projects is that they all have a unique goal or setup. ProPublica emphasizes protecting the “little guy,” Project X wants to give context to all stories and The Marshall Project focuses on revealing the troubles of a justice system all parties agree is broken. Omidyar’s First Look Media released its first publication called The Intercept, which examines issues regarding the activity of the National Security Agency.

If these new reporting startups can focus on a unique topic or angle, they can attract investigative journalists who spend their lives researching that particular issue. The main goal of having these reporters on board is to establish a reliable brand of journalism with a constant output of pieces riddled with expertise. For instance, those who have investigated prisons or court systems might gravitate toward writing for Keller’s Marshall Project.

If an organization covering specific issues can achieve a high enough circulation, it can set aflame a national conversation that will affect policy in the future. Think of how the nonprofits advocating for gay rights catalyzed the national debate on marriage equality in the later half of the early 2000s. It is not absurd to think that same passion can be applied to even more complex issues.

These startups — for-profits and nonprofits alike — will need a lot of things to go right. If they do succeed — and I hope they do — they can truly shift the gears of journalism in this country for the better.

Phil Kramer is a freshman advertising and marketing management major. His column appears weekly. You can reach him at pwkramer@syr.edu.

Published on February 20, 2014 at 3:15 am