ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book utilizes the hierarchy of influences model to identity and analyze the different forces on newswork at digital nonprofits. Implicit in the reporter’s quotes, actions and the direction of the editor is the different way this particular nonprofit news organization set priorities. Theoretically nonprofit news organizations would not emphasize economic capital in the same way as a for-profit news enterprise. The book illustrates the forces influencing newsmaking at these organizations, both forces salient at all news organizations and those unique or different for nonprofits. Unburdened from the need to deliver profits to shareholders, nonprofit journalists are being asked to deviate from certain routines often embedded in newswork. In journalism, studies have illustrated the industry’s thirst for breaking news, how most journalism organizations prioritize being first and “the ‘newness of news’ regardless of its drama or its significance.”.
