Why did I choose a bisected nautilus for the Mongabay version of Why philanthropists should invest in independent journalism while I used a river delta for the blog version? The answer is I struggled to find a photo I’d taken that could represent this piece, so I decided to go metaphorical. Here’s my reasoning:
- Like journalism, the nautilus’s visible spiral exists only because of the hidden architecture inside. Each chamber supports the next. Similarly, journalism provides the invisible scaffolding—verified information—that sustains public decision-making.
- The nautilus expands outward, building on what came before. That mirrors how journalism’s impact compounds: one investigation enables another, each adding to a growing body of shared knowledge.
- By cutting the shell open, you reveal the elegant logic of its construction—what was once opaque becomes clear. This is precisely what independent journalism does with systems of power.
- The spiral also suggests harmony between form and function—echoing the essay’s argument that truth-telling isn’t ornamental but foundational, a kind of natural order that philanthropy can help sustain.
A stretch? Maybe.
