ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses issues involving the funding of digital journalism. It explores the term funding to refer to income/revenue received and funding model for the revenue configuration that makes it possible. Digital journalism alters the cost structures that exist when journalism is practiced in print. Funding digital journalism requires news enterprises to reduce their reliance on advertising funding, develop better insight into consumers and their willingness to pay for digital journalism, gain a clearer understanding of the economic value of news, and to consider multiple ways of financing digital operation. Not-for-profit operating models are being pursued by many digital news organizations, relying on a variety of non-market funding models and mix sources of funding. In physical production, profitable operation is pursued by managing variable costs. Providing paid content to consumers requires news organizations to select a content payment model and create an access structure to obtain payment.
