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Rhett Ayers Butler
The other day, I was asked about the real-world impact of investigative reporting in the context of ocean issues. One of my favorite examples is a series of stories we published over a three-year period about Dalian Ocean Fishing, one of China’s largest tuna companies. This reporting underscores the serendipity involved in chasing a story […]
High-quality data journalism serves as a powerful tool in elucidating complex environmental issues, transforming raw data into compelling narratives that illuminate the hidden stories behind the numbers. By employing rigorous data collection and analysis, journalists can uncover trends and patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed, providing a solid foundation for investigative reporting. But how do […]
People often inquire about Mongabay’s readership, so here’s an overview of data from last year. The attached document offers a summary of readership and story production data for Mongabay’s primary news sections in 2023, which include Mongabay-Brasil (Portuguese), Mongabay-French, Mongabay-India (English and Hindi), Mongabay-Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia), Mongabay-Latam (Spanish), and Mongabay-News. Please note that this analysis […]
Driven by a desire to share my book on tropical rainforests with the public for free, I established Mongabay in 1999. 25 years on, Mongabay has evolved from a website hosting my book to a comprehensive platform covering a wide range of environmental topics far beyond tropical forests. Mongabay has since evolved from a website […]
As noted before, shifting Mongabay from a for-profit to a nonprofit granted us the privilege to prioritize impact over chasing clicks. This move freed us to give away our stories and view other media outlets as potential partners rather than competitors. If our articles are republished, that helps us fulfill our mission by helping inform […]
An interview with Alejandro Muñoz for Sinc (Ciencia Contada en Español): “No vamos detrás del clic, nuestro periodismo busca mejoras reales en el medioambiente”. A few extracts translated from from the interview: Do you think interest in environmental journalism has increased? Yes. I think the effects of environmental degradation are more evident than ever. This […]
In October 2023 in an event at Holbrook Palmer Park in Atherton, CA, I spoke about conservation journalism in the world’s most biodiverse places. I talked about my journey of growing Mongabay from a personal passion project into a multinational nonprofit media organization that covers critical issues affecting wildlife, wild places, and communities globally. I […]
“How are you responding to challenging trends in the news industry?” To provide background context in answering this frequently asked question, I usually direct people to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report and materials from the Pew Research Center. Here are a few key data points from these resources I find particularly relevant: ☑ Decline in […]
Over the past few months, via LinkedIn I’ve shared a series of posts on Mongabay’s 2030 roadmap. Here’s a recap of some of the key points: What is Mongabay? Mongabay is a nonprofit, independent media organization that focuses on issues at the intersection of people and nature. We collaborate with journalists worldwide to highlight stories […]
Working to ensure that environmental journalism is a viable career option that provides a decent and dignified living. Advertising-based media is struggling, resulting in fewer resources for enterprise reporting, such as in-depth investigations. This decline also means fewer paid opportunities for journalists. The challenges are arguably even more acute for journalists who focus on environmental […]
This week, Elon Musk confirmed that the social media platform, X — formerly known as Twitter — plans to stop displaying news article headlines or text within links. Will this decision accelerate the abandonment of the platform by environmentalists? The decline of “Environmental Twitter,” a segment of 380,000 users who frequently discussed climate change and […]
LinkedIn has become our top source for English-language readership via social media. Given the inquiries about social media following my post on audience engagement (https://bit.ly/3rW7QBn), I analyzed the year-to-date social media data for Mongabay’s English-language news website, https://news.mongabay.com. Surprisingly, visitors arriving via LinkedIn links collectively spent 77,070 hours reading our news articles in the first seven […]
“You are the enemy.” “You must stop writing about palm oil.” Such were the words directed at me by a Malaysian palm oil company executive, flanked by two bodyguards, in an elevator in the late 2000s. Though it wasn’t the most menacing incident I’ve encountered in my reporting (e.g. https://bit.ly/44PtpSL), it epitomizes the intimidation journalists regularly […]
What’s the secret to securing funding from foundations? This question, in various forms, has been asked of me a lot since my LinkedIn post about the fundraising component of Mongabay‘s strategic plan (https://bit.ly/3NVeRd2) a few days ago. To be clear, I don’t claim to be an expert in this field. However, I can certainly share insights […]
In recent months, Vice filed for bankruptcy, National Geographic fired its remaining staff writers, BuzzFeed closed its Pulitzer Prize-winning news division, MTV News shut down, The New York Times closed its sports desk, while The LA Times, Insider, and major TV and cable news networks made deep cuts to their newsrooms. In short, advertising-dependent news […]
This post is the third in a series on Mongabay’s recently published 2030 plan. This post focuses on audience engagement. Earlier posts include: Addressing the planetary challenges we collectively face won’t be simple. As a journalism organization, Mongabay plays a crucial role by providing news and inspiration from nature’s frontlines. Our goal is to share […]
This post is the second in a series on Mongabay’s recently published 2030 plan. This post focuses on Mongabay’s editorial agenda. One of Mongabay’s key strengths is our ability to report globally on nature conservation and biodiversity, presenting nuanced stories from a network of local journalists. As a newsroom, we often prioritize the science behind […]
Mongabay has experienced significant growth since its establishment in 1999, evolving from a single-person rainforest website into a multinational news organization with hundreds of staff and contributing journalists. We have made tremendous progress, thanks to our newsroom’s ability to produce original journalism that creates tangible impact. However, the magnitude of the global challenges we face […]