Spot.Us Delivers Crowdfunding to The New York Times

By Bill Mitchell

The New York Times published half of a very good story this morning -- Lindsey Hoshaw's account of her visit to the massive patch of garbage floating in the Pacific. 

In an italicized note, the Times hinted at the rest of the story: "Travel expenses were paid in part by readers of Spot.Us, a nonprofit Web project that supports freelance journalists."

As Hoshaw was raising money for the story this summer, both the Times and Spot.Us made a point of insisting that the roles played by both organizations did not, collectively, represent any kind of collaboration. Spot.Us would help raise money for the trip, they said, and the Times would consider the story for publication.

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In retrospect, their efforts look very much like a collaboration -- just the sort of collaboration the Times and other news organizations could use more of as they seek new ways to pay for news. 

I've sent notes this morning to Hoshaw, Spot.Us director David Cohn, Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt and others in search of lessons learned from project, and invite you to post your own questions and comments below. 

In the meantime, here's some of what strikes me about (both halves of) the story:

Hoshaw's photos, displayed in a slideshow accompanying the online version of the article, convey dimensions of the story that text can't touch. So, too, do entries on the blog Hoshaw wrote as the trip unfolded, especially this description of her first glimpse of the patch: "I woke up and saw an oversized light bulb floating by the bow. Unbelievable."

That's the kind of color and context that serves readers with a particular interest in a topic. And it's the sort of curation that will become increasingly important as news organizations figure out how to rely on talented partners to provide some of their coverage.

Other resources that would have helped the Times improve its already strong presentation of the story this morning: theSpot.Us pitch page listing contributors and other background, Hoshaw's FAQ on the patch and her reporting, a video thank you to contributors from Hoshaw and a Facebook Cause page where she raised an additional $2,470 in expense money.

But one thing at a time. As Times executives proceed with their deliberations about how to sustain the news, here's hoping crowdfunding in general -- and Spot.Us in particular -- has earned a spot on the list.