Would your organisation or group like to publish a story about one person’s experience with chronic fatigue syndrome? It won’t cost you a cent.
Tara Peck, Project Officer of the Public Interest Journalism Foundation, explains more.
Tara Peck writes:
As mentioned previously on Croakey, YouCommNews.com , a news commissioning website established by the Public Interest Journalism Foundation, has been seeking support for a number of story pitches since its launch at Melbourne Writers Festival on 3rd September.
This week the website published its first news story fully funded by the public.
In Search of Non-Toxic Housing for Health’s Sake details the experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) sufferer, Katherine McIntosh, who battles ‘Multiple Chemical Sensitivity’ (MCS) as part of her illness.
This report is the first instalment in a series of ten proposed by Journalist Toula Mantis, aimed at highlighting the plight of those suffering from CFS in order to raise awareness of its devastating effects. The series, ‘CFS Sufferers: Living Corpses left for dead’, was pitched on YouCommNews in late August and since then seventeen individuals have contributed a total of $878.00 for the journalism to go ahead.
All ten stories will be made freely available for redistribution through a Creative Commons 3.0 licence (attribution, no derivatives).
This means that unless a registered media organisation chooses to fund more than 50 percent of a story’s cost (in which case they may opt for first publication rights), content is made freely available for publication by anyone as long as the work remains unchanged and is attributed to the journalist.
Community groups, organisations or individuals wishing to republish a YouCommNews story can contact PIJ Foundation at pijfATswin.edu.au for more information.
YouCommNews’ community-funded model provides a platform for Katherine’s story and other important investigations to be brought into the public domain, allowing journalists and members of the public to pitch stories which otherwise may not appear in the mainstream media.
Other public health stories currently seeking community support through this model are:
Code Red for Seriously Ill Aussie Kids
Pitched by Melbourne mother Liat Harrower, and currently with $255.00 pledged support. A journalist is needed to conduct this investigation into the costs and government red tape surrounding disability aid equipment.
Is the AMA’s power over policy healthy?
Investigating the extent of the AMA’s power over public health policy. Pitched by Professor Lesley Barclay, Director of the Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (and a Croakey contributor).
What are the environmental consequences of delivering healthcare in Australia?
This story has been pitched by Fiona Armstrong (another Croakey contributor), and needs a journalist to take it on – and people to help fund it.
Is there an issue you feel hasn’t been investigated, or a story which needs to be told? Suggest, support or start a story at www.youcommnews.com.
