MEDIA MATTERS
Two weeks ago, Maverick Insider, the membership community of Daily Maverick was awarded ‘best paid content strategy’ in Africa by Wan-Ifra. Although recognition is always appreciated, it was something the judges said that resonated deeply with the Insider team, “the way they are willing to gain new members: very high quality of service instead of a very hard paywall”.
Two years ago when we launched Maverick Insider, words like ‘precarious’ and ‘close to closing’ were used to describe the financial position of Daily Maverick. Rarely was there enough money in the coffers to cover three months of payroll. We were already running as lean as we could: no proper offices, no investment in tech and a small team of experienced people who just happened to produce the best journalism in the country.
With, at the time, 115,000 newsletter subscribers and just over one million unique visitors a month, there was a strong case for putting up a paywall. Newsrooms across the globe were doing it, so why not jump on the shoulders of giants and use their playbook? Why did we have to invent our own?
Aside from the many puns that we could insert here, there was a simple reason: This is South Africa. One of the most unequal societies in the world, paired with one of the most contentious and emotive political landscapes topped with a generous serving of generation-crushing corruption. In a country where political interference in the news was commonplace, where PR firms were paid to sow divisive propaganda and where social media is the warm Petri dish for misinformation; keeping factual news, keeping the truth, for only those who could afford it would be catastrophic for this ailing democracy.
So membership became our only choice. We’d be asked to connect with our readers on a level that is not commonplace in newsrooms. We’d let them choose how much they wanted to contribute. We’d bring them in to help with some of our investigations. We’d ask their opinions. And listen to them.
Two years and 14,000 members later, Maverick Insider is a leading light for another way. Membership saved us from closing down and, as of today, members are part of our attempt to help save print journalism from folding too. Daily Maverick 168 is the evolution of the Daily Maverick ethos: editorial first, always.
This pandemic has been a time of acute loss: not just of life but also of freedoms, businesses and for many, the loss of hope. Daily Maverick is not always known for our ‘good news’ stories, but today we have one for you: 14,000 members are supporting us to put out the highest quality journalism in a weekly newspaper so those who can’t afford to pay, can still access it. They’re giving us the freedom to increase our impact on the country’s future. They are the few who are making a difference for the many.