Rhett Ayers Butler
20 years ago, I started Mongabay News with a laptop, a dream, and a sense of urgency — here’s what’s next. Last month marked 20 years since I started Mongabay’s news service. In those early days, it was just me—working from my apartment or traveling with a laptop, publishing articles primarily about tropical forests. My [Continue reading]
This month marks 20 years since I started the Mongabay news service. At the time, it was just me—writing, editing, and publishing from a desk with more ambition than resources. The idea was simple: provide consistent, fact-based environmental reporting that filled a gap I saw between advocacy groups and mainstream media. Coverage of tropical forests [Continue reading]
At a time when traditional news outlets are shedding reporters and chasing clicks, Mongabay is bucking the trend: it’s growing. One key, says David Martin, our director of philanthropy, is that Mongabay isn’t selling ads or stoking outrage—it’s cultivating trust. “Our currency,” he told Mike DiGirolamo in a recent conversation, “is really impact.” Martin, who [Continue reading]
Not all platforms are worth it After I shared the story behind Mongabay’s decision to deprioritize Facebook, several people asked: Where should impact-driven organizations focus their energy instead? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best platform depends on your audience and what you want them to do with the information you share. Are you trying to [Continue reading]
In 2021, I grappled with a difficult decision. At the time, Facebook accounted for more than 80% of Mongabay’s external referral traffic — but we were increasingly questioning the value of that traffic. Mongabay’s mission as a nonprofit newsroom is to produce journalism that informs and drives impact, not just generate clicks. Years earlier, we’d [Continue reading]
Red lines. (This post discusses threats to press freedom and may be distressing for some readers. Please proceed with care.) We have entered a new era in the United States—one that carries profound risks for journalism. The assumption that the U.S. will remain a safe environment for independent reporting, especially on issues of power and [Continue reading]
One year after completing Mongabay Africa’s environmental journalism grants, a cohort of Sahel-based journalists has taken the initiative to form the African Network of Francophone Environmental Journalists (RAJEF). Officially launched on February 26th, the network aims to strengthen environmental reporting across Francophone Africa, beginning with a fact-checking training session. The six founding members, hailing from [Continue reading]
Not all opportunities are worth taking. In 2010, a high profile literary agent approached me with an enticing offer: Write a book about my journey and the environmental trends shaping the world. It was the kind of opportunity many dream of—a chance to share my perspective, to build my profile, to hold a finished work [Continue reading]
We Didn’t Block GenAI from Mongabay. The Results Were Surprising. In recent years, many media outlets have chosen to block ChatGPT and other generative AI bots from accessing their content. There are strong arguments for doing so: concerns about copyright, the environmental cost of AI queries, and the broader implications of AI-driven content aggregation. At [Continue reading]
Do you want to contribute to something impactful in a place where you’re an outsider? Here’s what I learned starting Mongabay-Indonesia, an environmental news service in a country where I didn’t even speak the language. 1) Find the right people. The real secret? It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about finding people who do. [Continue reading]
I don’t get excited about independent evaluations. That’s what I used to think—until one conducted last year on our tropical forests reporting yielded some eye-opening findings. An independent evaluation recently reviewed our work on tropical forest reporting, interviewing 38 stakeholders and analyzing data from over 600 survey respondents. The results were compelling and reinforced the [Continue reading]
Want to raise money from foundations? It’s not just about persistence—it’s about speaking their language. When I first started seeking foundation support for Mongabay, I faced a wall of silence. No responses. When I was lucky, I got a “No thanks.” At the time, I thought I was taking the right approach. I targeted foundations [Continue reading]
Over the next couple of months, I plan to share weekly posts like this, offering context and insights on my journey in a format different from my usual style. My goal is to explore whether this approach resonates with new audiences and communities. I never set out to become a journalist. When I started Mongabay, [Continue reading]
Cat stories attracted the most readers on Mongabay web sites. For anyone familiar with the internet over the past three decades, the popularity of cat-related content will come as little surprise. Across Mongabay’s six-language platforms and four regional bureaus, articles about wild cats topped the charts for median readership in 2024. This includes the iconic [Continue reading]
In response to my post yesterday about the geographic distribution of our readership and country-level coverage in 2024, several people reached out or commented about Mongabay’s plans to expand its presence in specific countries. When determining where to establish a presence, the calculus for Mongabay as a nonprofit environmental news outlet, extends well beyond audience [Continue reading]
I founded Mongabay 25 years ago to address what I perceived as a gap in media coverage of tropical rainforests. Over the years, Mongabay has grown significantly, especially after transitioning to a non-profit in 2012. Since then we expanded from two full-time staff in the U.S. to more than 120 team members across over 30 [Continue reading]
Here are Mongabay News’s five most-read stories of 2024. All focus on Asia, with four concerning wildlife, and reptiles claiming the top two spots. A caveat: this ranking reflects only website traffic through December 22, 2024. It does not include social media viewership. “Four of a kind: King cobra is a quad of species, not [Continue reading]
The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), one of the most authoritative and respected voices in journalism, recently profiled Mongabay. The piece, written by Lauren Watson, provides an in-depth look at how our nonprofit newsroom navigates the challenges of reporting on conservation and environmental issues globally, often in high-risk areas. Key points from the article include:🌍 International [Continue reading]
As we await results from today’s election, one of the most important in recent U.S. history, the implications for the planet and its future feel more pressing than ever. No matter who prevails, our work at Mongabay remains profoundly significant. The outcome will undoubtedly influence policy shifts impacting ecosystems, climate action, and biodiversity, potentially altering [Continue reading]
Here’s an example of how we fund nature journalism. Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet that relies on grants and donations, rather than advertising or a paywall, to bring our audience news and inspiration from nature’s frontline. I’m often asked how this works. The short answer is that we’re constantly pitching donors to secure support [Continue reading]
I’m often asked about the animal that appears on my business card. First, it’s a real animal. It’s not a muppet. It’s a bird: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant. The scale-crested pygmy tyrant is a species of tyrant flycatcher that belongs to the passerine order of birds, a group known as ‘perching birds,’ which includes many [Continue reading]
Last week, we launched a new Mongabay experience. The design changes reflect how Mongabay has evolved in the seven years since our last redesign: Chiefly, our expanding diversity of story formats, from articles to videos to podcasts. The new design provides audiences with Mongabay stories in the way they prefer to receive and engage with [Continue reading]
In the final post of my series marking Mongabay’s 25th anniversary, here’s a glimpse at what lies ahead for us in the near and medium term. Looking towards 2030, our imperatives include: 🌊 Expanding coverage: We aim to explore more topics and regions, focusing on underreported stories with significant impact potential, including oceans, Africa, and [Continue reading]
We live in a world grappling with complex environmental challenges. As a journalist, I’ve always believed in the power of words and stories to make a difference. Journalism is not just about reporting facts; it’s about shining a light on issues that are often hidden in the shadows. In the context of environmental crises, journalism [Continue reading]
Reflecting on the past 25 years at Mongabay, it is evident that impactful journalism can drive meaningful change. Our work has contributed to significant outcomes, from exposing trafficking of pygmy sloths in Panama to informing a state decision to convert 101,000 hectares from a logging concession to a reserve in Borneo. My go-to example of [Continue reading]