A People’s paper: What reader-funded journalism can teach us
THOMAS NKHOMA | Monday May 26, 2025 16:16
While there, I interviewed the editor of die tageszeitung, or simply taz, Mattias Bröckers. What began as a research interview quickly became a moment of journalistic awakening. I was struck by the courage and ingenuity behind the taz model, a newspaper run not by corporate bosses but by its readers. I could not help but imagine how such a model might thrive in Botswana. At a time when global advertising revenues are shrinking and media houses are facing existential threats, the taz stands as a living embodiment that journalism does not have to sell its soul to survive. Its story is not just about alternative funding, it is about a radical belief in the public’s ability and willingness to sustain truth-telling. I was particularly moved by how it all began.
Taxi by Night, Editor by Day
In April 1979, a group of 50 visionaries - only three of them journalists – launched the taz on a daring premise: that journalism should serve the public, not private capital. To get it off the ground, they asked 3,000 people to prepay for subscriptions before a single issue had been published. The money came quickly. Salaries, however, did not. Mattias, the founding editor, drove a taxi at night to fund his editorial work by day. For the first decade, the newsroom lived hand-to-mouth, sending out regular fundraising appeals just to keep the press running. But their resolve never dimmed. That struggle eventually birthed something more permanent and democratic.
Choosing Cooperation Over Corporates
By 1991, after years of financial strain, the taz reached a crossroads. Should they sell out to a big publishing house or try something no daily German paper had done before? In a razor-thin vote - 52 for, 48 against - the editorial team chose to become a cooperative. That single vote preserved the paper’s soul. Today, over 11000 members each contribute €500 to join the cooperative, not to earn dividends but to safeguard the paper’s editorial independence. Their reward is the continued existence of a newspaper that speaks truth to power. The cooperative’s ethos mirrors that of many traditional cooperatives in Botswana - community-owned, democratically run and built on mutual trust. Cooperatives in Botswana date back to the country's infancy. They were set up by the government shortly after independence and are required by law to serve the national benefit. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) defines a co-op as a democratically owned and controlled enterprise in which its members jointly and equitably share the economic, social, and cultural benefits and risks. The alliance goes on to explain that a cooperative society is founded on the principles of mutual aid, individual accountability, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. Members of the cooperative uphold the ICA principles of honesty, transparency, social responsibility, and care for others in the spirit of its founders.
No Ads? No Problem
In an era where most newspapers still chase advertising to stay afloat, the taz intentionally limits advertising to no more than 20% of its revenue. This shields it from the whims of both commercial and political agendas. With a lean staff of about 200, including foreign correspondents in 10 - 12 countries, the paper prioritises original reporting and the public interest over profit. Ironically, their survival now hinges not on flashy campaigns but on something more old-fashioned: reader generosity. A Gentle Ask, Not a Paywall
When the taz relaunched its digital platform in 2006, it was amongst the first German papers to experiment with online models. But instead of locking content behind paywalls - which often punish the poor - they launched a campaign called “I Pay for taz.” No arm-twisting. Just a polite pop-up inviting readers to chip in. The result? In one month, donations reached €11000 (P166 595). By the end of that year, online reader support had surpassed €120 000 (P1 817 400) - more than half of what the site generated from ads annually. Transparency played a huge role. Readers knew exactly where their money went: 35 cents of every 50-cent mobile donation directly supported newsroom costs. There were no logins, no tedious forms. Just a thank-you note, a chance to leave a comment and even upload a photo. That sense of symbolic reciprocity, like tipping a waiter after great service - built a community, not just a readership.
Still Print, Still Relevant
Even as the taz embraced digital tools, it never abandoned print. Instead, it reimagined it. Weekday subscribers now get a digital edition while a robust printed version arrives on weekends. Sales of the digital paper have grown tenfold, from 500 to 5,000 monthly downloads. The paper has also diversified with an online shop selling fair-trade coffee and eco-conscious products, further reinforcing its progressive identity.
Why This Model Matters
What the taz proves is that people will pay for journalism, not because they have to but because they believe in it. It shows that when readers are treated as stakeholders, not just consumers, they rise to the occasion. There is a lesson here for media everywhere especially in Botswana.
In our own media landscape which increasingly feels cornered by commercial and political pressure, the taz model is not just a curiosity. It is a possible blueprint. A reader-funded future may not be easy but it could be freer, more ethical and ultimately more sustainable. After all, when journalism is powered by the people it serves, it becomes what it was always meant to be - a public good, not a private privilege. Thomas T. Nkhoma MISA-Botswana National Governing Council Chairman