NWZ - News Site

By Kiran Matthews

PledgeMe.Project

Journalism,



NZ $4,040 pledged


117 people pledged


Closed


NZ $4,000 minimum target


100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 05/05/2013 at 9:28 AM.

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About

NWZ - News Site

Project 2013-02-04 00:07:49 +1300

Before we start, have you watched our video?

Cool, now go and read the latest posts in the updates tab, Kiran has put up an FAQ that clarifies why our budget is (relatively) small, and how we're going to maintain editorial independence.

NWZ.co.nz is a new, independent, full-fledged news site, covering a wide range of topics for a New Zealand audience. As well as covering important issues such as LGBT rights, the environment and income inequality, we'll also be writing about technology, music, film, theatre, politics and art. 


We're a small team, comprised of students and recent graduates, contributing articles on subjects that we're knowledgeable and passionate about. We have enough talented writers to ensure that fresh content is delivered throughout the day, every day.

As well as articles written by NWZ contributors, we're also building relationships with several international news organisations and niche sites, who have agreed to let us syndicate (re-post) their articles, so that the site will always be updated and current.


We won't just be writing, we'll also be producing original video and audio content, such as reviews and podcasts – in the same vein as YouTube channels such as Sourcefed and The Young Turks. We have two awesome presenters, Josh and Niamh, who are ready to present NWZ's Video blog, if funding is succesful.


Work on the site is well underway, but for NWZ to compete with corporate giants such as Fairfax, APN and Yahoo, we need our site to be built to an exceedingly high standard. We need a bare minimum of $4000 in order to:

  1. Pay our web developers (who cannot volunteer part-time, like the rest of our team)
  2. Pay web hosting fees for our first year of operation
  3. Rent and buy video and sound equipment 
  4. Demonstrate to government funding bodies that there is a real demand for this kind of site, increasing our chance of winning their support
  5. Cover other administrative costs (trademark applications, domain renewals etc.).


Our long-term plan is for NWZ to become self-sufficient financially, through selling advertising space – but to get the site off of the ground we need your help to raise these funds. Check out the range of rewards we've come up with, in the column on the right. Thanks for reading!

Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/nwz


Comments

Updates 2

Skeptical? Here's an FAQ

08/04/2013 at 11:01 AM

Hey y’all! Kiran here.

After launching NWZ’s PledgeMe campaign, we’ve had a lot of pressing questions. I’ve done my best to try and answer the tough ones. Hopefully if you’re feeling skeptical about NWZ, this changes your mind:


NWZ looks like a cheap rip-off of Stuff.co.nz, what’s different about it?

I’ve spoken to friends working at Fairfax, who’ve told me point blank that articles have been censored or never made it to print because of an advertiser’s objections. Typically, these articles will cover so-called “contentious issues” such as reproductive rights, rape, drugs and sexuality.

The difference is that NWZ is a news website that doesn’t censor at the whim of advertisers.

Additionally, we want to avoid pandering to the lowest common denominator; to that end, we will never engage in victim-blaming, xenophobia, sexism or any incitement of prejudice and hate.


Hold on, you said you’re going to fund the sight through advertising! Is NWZ just a a profit-generating exercise?

The idea is that 'costs are covered' by advertising, and we never compromise or censor the content to cover advertiser demands. We're registered as an llc, so we're technically a ‘for profit’ entity in the eyes of the taxman - but I see NWZ as more of a 'social enterprise', where profits go toward building the site into something bigger, paying writers, developing new apps/experiences etc.

Because we will not be censoring our writers, our advertising revenue will be lower – but hopefully the news product that we deliver will be stronger, and more authentic.


$4000 is a ridiculously small amount to develop (let alone run) a large site, won’t you just run out of money straight away?

As stated on the page, this is thebare minimumwe're aiming to raise to partially cover set-up costs. Are you familiar withLoomio? It's a piece of online decision-making software that my friend Jon Lemmon is working on. Their software is exceedingly more complex than ours and they funded it with $5000 in PledgeMe donations…

Should funding be successful, as well as buying gear, we'll be using the money to compensate developers that are already working with us, who are willing to work at a ‘start-up’ rate in exchange for later compensation. I want to pay them so that they don't starve - This may be why the figure of $4000 might seem unrealistic at face value.


In your video you talk about NWZ being free, what’s wrong with paid news?

I feel as though paywalls significantly limit the reach of content, especially in a small market like New Zealand. What if your only access to a computer is at your local library, or your high school? What if you're a single-parent on a low income, and can't justify subscribing to a paywalled site? Perhaps you aren't old enough to have a credit/debit card... it's just not something I see as viable, in a market this small, with the audience we're speaking to.


You were really vague in your video about whose content you are going to be reprinting, why won’t you tell us all your sources?

In our video, Kenji mentions "international organisations", this refers to offshore entities such as The Raw Story (who do syndicate content for free, to other publishers), Aljazeera (who share certain stories and videos under a creative commons license) and numerous other sites that have granted consent to their content being shared (with attribution). We’ve been scouring the net for 5 months building a highly curated list of sources. Anyone with this list of sources could effectively contact them, get their permission to syndicate, and build a 50% complete version of NWZ.


Well, if couldn’t anyone set this site up, why should I help you do it?

Because we pledge (ha!) to never compromise the quality and integrity of our content in order to satisfy an advertiser.


Okay, that’s rad, I want to pledge now!

The video doesn’t make it that clear (our bad), but you don’t get charged on your credit or debit card until the end of our PledgeMe campaign, and only if we reach our $4000 target. What this means is you can pledge now, even if  there’s no funds in your account, as long as that money is in your account on May 5th.


Thanks for reading!


Sections and subsections on NWZ

05/04/2013 at 3:31 AM

In response to a demand for more detailed information about what NWZ will actually be reporting on, here's a few quick summaries of the different sections we plan to curate. Pledgeme has a limit of images you can upload, so the rest will be posted on our facebook page at facebook.com/nwz.




    Pledgers 117

    Szilárd Ozorák
    05/05/2013 at 9:28pm
    Anonymous pledger
    05/05/2013 at 9:26pm
    Anonymous pledger
    05/05/2013 at 8:58pm
    Francine Janice Ellis
    05/05/2013 at 8:07pm
    Maggot Mills
    05/05/2013 at 8:05pm
    Toby Mills
    05/05/2013 at 7:33pm
    Sasha Lilee April
    05/05/2013 at 7:31pm
    Daniela Petrosino
    05/05/2013 at 7:30pm
    Josh Clapp
    05/05/2013 at 7:10pm
    Imogen Idoine-Dunn
    05/05/2013 at 7:00pm
    sam
    05/05/2013 at 6:28pm
    Alex Cameron
    05/05/2013 at 6:25pm
    Eleanor Rose King Merton
    05/05/2013 at 6:23pm
    Louis Alexander Dyer
    05/05/2013 at 5:46pm
    Miles Jones
    05/05/2013 at 5:38pm
    Paula
    05/05/2013 at 5:33pm
    Robert Urquhart
    05/05/2013 at 5:13pm
    Grace Verweij
    05/05/2013 at 4:57pm
    Anonymous pledger
    05/05/2013 at 4:43pm
    Lucas Armstrong
    05/05/2013 at 4:37pm
    chriscallus
    05/05/2013 at 4:22pm
    Finnbar Halley Castree Johansson
    05/05/2013 at 4:01pm
    Perry Hyde
    05/05/2013 at 3:38pm
    Slayton Hurst Bourdon
    05/05/2013 at 3:35pm
    Gerald Pfeifer
    05/05/2013 at 3:32pm
    essie
    05/05/2013 at 3:12pm
    Armenia
    05/05/2013 at 3:06pm
    Abe Hollingsworth
    05/05/2013 at 2:49pm
    elizabeth ashby
    05/05/2013 at 2:14pm
    Anonymous pledger
    05/05/2013 at 1:58pm

    Followers 3

    Followers of NWZ - News Site

    NWZ - News Site

    Project 2013-02-04 00:07:49 +1300

    Before we start, have you watched our video?

    Cool, now go and read the latest posts in the updates tab, Kiran has put up an FAQ that clarifies why our budget is (relatively) small, and how we're going to maintain editorial independence.

    NWZ.co.nz is a new, independent, full-fledged news site, covering a wide range of topics for a New Zealand audience. As well as covering important issues such as LGBT rights, the environment and income inequality, we'll also be writing about technology, music, film, theatre, politics and art. 


    We're a small team, comprised of students and recent graduates, contributing articles on subjects that we're knowledgeable and passionate about. We have enough talented writers to ensure that fresh content is delivered throughout the day, every day.

    As well as articles written by NWZ contributors, we're also building relationships with several international news organisations and niche sites, who have agreed to let us syndicate (re-post) their articles, so that the site will always be updated and current.


    We won't just be writing, we'll also be producing original video and audio content, such as reviews and podcasts – in the same vein as YouTube channels such as Sourcefed and The Young Turks. We have two awesome presenters, Josh and Niamh, who are ready to present NWZ's Video blog, if funding is succesful.


    Work on the site is well underway, but for NWZ to compete with corporate giants such as Fairfax, APN and Yahoo, we need our site to be built to an exceedingly high standard. We need a bare minimum of $4000 in order to:

    1. Pay our web developers (who cannot volunteer part-time, like the rest of our team)
    2. Pay web hosting fees for our first year of operation
    3. Rent and buy video and sound equipment 
    4. Demonstrate to government funding bodies that there is a real demand for this kind of site, increasing our chance of winning their support
    5. Cover other administrative costs (trademark applications, domain renewals etc.).


    Our long-term plan is for NWZ to become self-sufficient financially, through selling advertising space – but to get the site off of the ground we need your help to raise these funds. Check out the range of rewards we've come up with, in the column on the right. Thanks for reading!

    Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/nwz


    Comments

    Skeptical? Here's an FAQ

    08/04/2013 at 11:01 AM

    Hey y’all! Kiran here.

    After launching NWZ’s PledgeMe campaign, we’ve had a lot of pressing questions. I’ve done my best to try and answer the tough ones. Hopefully if you’re feeling skeptical about NWZ, this changes your mind:


    NWZ looks like a cheap rip-off of Stuff.co.nz, what’s different about it?

    I’ve spoken to friends working at Fairfax, who’ve told me point blank that articles have been censored or never made it to print because of an advertiser’s objections. Typically, these articles will cover so-called “contentious issues” such as reproductive rights, rape, drugs and sexuality.

    The difference is that NWZ is a news website that doesn’t censor at the whim of advertisers.

    Additionally, we want to avoid pandering to the lowest common denominator; to that end, we will never engage in victim-blaming, xenophobia, sexism or any incitement of prejudice and hate.


    Hold on, you said you’re going to fund the sight through advertising! Is NWZ just a a profit-generating exercise?

    The idea is that 'costs are covered' by advertising, and we never compromise or censor the content to cover advertiser demands. We're registered as an llc, so we're technically a ‘for profit’ entity in the eyes of the taxman - but I see NWZ as more of a 'social enterprise', where profits go toward building the site into something bigger, paying writers, developing new apps/experiences etc.

    Because we will not be censoring our writers, our advertising revenue will be lower – but hopefully the news product that we deliver will be stronger, and more authentic.


    $4000 is a ridiculously small amount to develop (let alone run) a large site, won’t you just run out of money straight away?

    As stated on the page, this is thebare minimumwe're aiming to raise to partially cover set-up costs. Are you familiar withLoomio? It's a piece of online decision-making software that my friend Jon Lemmon is working on. Their software is exceedingly more complex than ours and they funded it with $5000 in PledgeMe donations…

    Should funding be successful, as well as buying gear, we'll be using the money to compensate developers that are already working with us, who are willing to work at a ‘start-up’ rate in exchange for later compensation. I want to pay them so that they don't starve - This may be why the figure of $4000 might seem unrealistic at face value.


    In your video you talk about NWZ being free, what’s wrong with paid news?

    I feel as though paywalls significantly limit the reach of content, especially in a small market like New Zealand. What if your only access to a computer is at your local library, or your high school? What if you're a single-parent on a low income, and can't justify subscribing to a paywalled site? Perhaps you aren't old enough to have a credit/debit card... it's just not something I see as viable, in a market this small, with the audience we're speaking to.


    You were really vague in your video about whose content you are going to be reprinting, why won’t you tell us all your sources?

    In our video, Kenji mentions "international organisations", this refers to offshore entities such as The Raw Story (who do syndicate content for free, to other publishers), Aljazeera (who share certain stories and videos under a creative commons license) and numerous other sites that have granted consent to their content being shared (with attribution). We’ve been scouring the net for 5 months building a highly curated list of sources. Anyone with this list of sources could effectively contact them, get their permission to syndicate, and build a 50% complete version of NWZ.


    Well, if couldn’t anyone set this site up, why should I help you do it?

    Because we pledge (ha!) to never compromise the quality and integrity of our content in order to satisfy an advertiser.


    Okay, that’s rad, I want to pledge now!

    The video doesn’t make it that clear (our bad), but you don’t get charged on your credit or debit card until the end of our PledgeMe campaign, and only if we reach our $4000 target. What this means is you can pledge now, even if  there’s no funds in your account, as long as that money is in your account on May 5th.


    Thanks for reading!


    Sections and subsections on NWZ

    05/04/2013 at 3:31 AM

    In response to a demand for more detailed information about what NWZ will actually be reporting on, here's a few quick summaries of the different sections we plan to curate. Pledgeme has a limit of images you can upload, so the rest will be posted on our facebook page at facebook.com/nwz.




      Szilárd Ozorák
      05/05/2013 at 9:28pm
      Anonymous pledger
      05/05/2013 at 9:26pm
      Anonymous pledger
      05/05/2013 at 8:58pm
      Francine Janice Ellis
      05/05/2013 at 8:07pm
      Maggot Mills
      05/05/2013 at 8:05pm
      Toby Mills
      05/05/2013 at 7:33pm
      Sasha Lilee April
      05/05/2013 at 7:31pm
      Daniela Petrosino
      05/05/2013 at 7:30pm
      Josh Clapp
      05/05/2013 at 7:10pm
      Imogen Idoine-Dunn
      05/05/2013 at 7:00pm
      sam
      05/05/2013 at 6:28pm
      Alex Cameron
      05/05/2013 at 6:25pm
      Eleanor Rose King Merton
      05/05/2013 at 6:23pm
      Louis Alexander Dyer
      05/05/2013 at 5:46pm
      Miles Jones
      05/05/2013 at 5:38pm
      Paula
      05/05/2013 at 5:33pm
      Robert Urquhart
      05/05/2013 at 5:13pm
      Grace Verweij
      05/05/2013 at 4:57pm
      Anonymous pledger
      05/05/2013 at 4:43pm
      Lucas Armstrong
      05/05/2013 at 4:37pm
      chriscallus
      05/05/2013 at 4:22pm
      Finnbar Halley Castree Johansson
      05/05/2013 at 4:01pm
      Perry Hyde
      05/05/2013 at 3:38pm
      Slayton Hurst Bourdon
      05/05/2013 at 3:35pm
      Gerald Pfeifer
      05/05/2013 at 3:32pm
      essie
      05/05/2013 at 3:12pm
      Armenia
      05/05/2013 at 3:06pm
      Abe Hollingsworth
      05/05/2013 at 2:49pm
      elizabeth ashby
      05/05/2013 at 2:14pm
      Anonymous pledger
      05/05/2013 at 1:58pm

      Followers of NWZ - News Site

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 05/05/2013 at 9:28 AM.