Rhett Ayers Butler
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
At Mongabay, we frequently document the harm extractive industries inflict on the environment, wildlife, and communities globally. However, journalism itself can sometimes be extractive. This issue arises when journalists enter a community to report a story, gather context, and then leave. Despite the journalist’s best intentions, if the story isn’t accessible to the community in […]
On June 8, 1999, Mongabay was officially launched. So today is officially Mongabay’s 25th birthday. Over the past several days, many people have been asked about the history of Mongabay. This an extended version: https://mongabay.cc/pazNOU Here’s a brief version: I founded Mongabay out of my love for tropical forests. The site’s initial model was based […]
Next week marks 25 years since I founded Mongabay out of my passion for nature. I never imagined that a personal effort to raise awareness about tropical forests would evolve into a global network of dedicated journalists reporting from nature’s frontlines. It’s been incredible to see the contributions of these talented individuals making a real-world […]
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 […]