Erin Millar, a Vancouver journalist, has transformed her company, Discourse Media, into Indiegraf, a technology platform designed to power independent local journalism across North America. Motivated by the decline of local newsrooms, Indiegraf offers all-in-one publishing tools to lower the barrier to media ownership, enabling news entrepreneurs to launch outlets quickly. Since its launch in 2020, Indiegraf powers over 150 publishers and has secured significant equity investments and grants, aiming to create more sustainable and equitable media systems despite challenges like shrinking ad revenue and social media content policies.
From newsroom to tech platform, Erin Millar aims to redefine local journalism
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Erin Millar, a Vancouver journalist, has transformed her company, Discourse Media, into Indiegraf, a technology platform designed to power independent local journalism across North America. Motivated by the decline of local newsrooms, Indiegraf offers all-in-one publishing tools to lower the barrier to media ownership, enabling news entrepreneurs to launch outlets quickly. Since its launch in 2020, Indiegraf powers over 150 publishers and has secured significant equity investments and grants, aiming to create more sustainable and equitable media systems despite challenges like shrinking ad revenue and social media content policies.
- 1 2014: Erin Millar launched Discourse Media.
- 2 2019: Discourse Media hit a financial wall, leading to a change in tactics.
- 3 2020: Indiegraf, the tech platform, launched.
- 4 During COVID-19 pandemic: Indiegraf helped launch seven new news startups as many media outlets shuttered.
- Launch of over 150 publishers across North America using Indiegraf
- Significant equity investments and grants secured for Indiegraf and its supported newsrooms
- Lowered barrier of entry to media ownership for news entrepreneurs
- Continued fragility of the digital journalism business model due to shrinking ad revenue and social media policies
What: Erin Millar, a Vancouver journalist, transformed her company, Discourse Media, into Indiegraf, a tech platform that provides publishing tools to support independent local news organizations across North America.
When: 2014 (Discourse Media launched), 2019 (Discourse hit a wall), 2020 (Indiegraf launched), COVID-19 pandemic (dozens of media outlets shuttered).
Where: Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), North America, British Columbia (Cowichan Valley, Revelstoke, Kamloops), Newfoundland, Quebec, Montreal, Coquitlam (British Columbia), Cleveland (Ohio, US), Shasta County (California, US), Latin America.
Why: Millar was motivated by the decline of local newsrooms and the disappearance of in-depth reporting, aiming to ensure quality journalism exists in local communities and lower the barrier of entry to media ownership.
How: Millar and Caitlin Havlak built Indiegraf as an all-in-one publishing platform. They secured $5.2 million in equity investments and $5.5 million in grants to grow newsrooms using the platform. Indiegraf helps launch new news startups and supports existing rural newspapers.