"Nano" Journalism Focuses on Untold Stories

As major news groups around the world reduce their coverage of foreign affairs, niche organizations and citizen journalists are telling global stories that are reshaping readers’ understanding of the world. In an editorial in the Huffington Post, Ehab Al Shihabi wrote that we are in the “nano” news age, when small news organizations are getting to important stories first, focusing their coverage on niches that include human rights, politics, and the environment.

Mr. Al Shihabi noted that smaller news outlets have been the first to cover stories such as Beijing’s tightening-down on China’s version of Donald Trump.

To gain traction in the market, these nano news outlets take a variety of approaches, from providing prospective subscribers with free trials to soliciting donations from readers.

“There is growing evidence that if we create content that is unique and a voice that is sui generis (unique), people are willing to pay for it,” Jui Chakravorty, a former Reuters journalist, said in a press interview. “Still, it’s an uphill battle.”