Categories: OLD Media Moves

Crowdfunding for biz journalism project raises $5,000

The Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation, run by business journalist Roddy Boyd, has raised $5,000 through crowdfunding for a business journalism investigative project.

“Fixed Income” — a working title — is a forthcoming documentary by SIRF and Nick Verbitsky, who wrote and directed “Confidence Game” about the collapse of Bear Stearns and PBS FrontLine’s “To Catch a Trader” about the hidden horrors embedded in too many municipal finance deals, especially when the borrower is a strapped city or school board.

SIRF tried BeaconReader.com’s platform after a suggestion by the Institute for Non-Profit News. It was able to meet its target of raising $5000 in 15 days.

“It was hard but we definitely got in touch with a broad range of donors, many of whom were willing to talk about their donations to the documentary on social media, which helped motivate still more donors,” said Boyd.

One backer gave $900, while the others gave either $30 or $50.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.