Rick Edmonds of The Poynter Institute writes about STAT, the site that covers the health care industry that has turned 10 years old.
Edmonds writes, “STAT appears to have thrived by having a distinct niche, but one not too narrowly defined — perhaps in the vein of The Marshall Project’s coverage of criminal justice and prisons.
“‘They do spectacular (investigative) work,’ Berke said, but less breaking news. The day we spoke, STAT had posted 18 spot stories, he added, so a better analogy might be The Information or Wired.
“STAT is a for-profit company, but reaping profits is not the point. He and the Henrys agree that profits get plowed back into investments in the business. Individual subscriptions go for $399 a year. STAT also accepts advertising, much of it in the form of sponsorships of podcasts, newsletters and events, all of which have worked as related ventures. Audience and other revenue are about equal.
“The site is its own company, but has a sibling relationship with the Globe. They share stories and have pooled business functions as a chain would.”
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