A Funded Journalism Idea

I'm considering doing some investigative reporting.

I can't discuss the topic publicly (that has to do with the "investigative" part). That pretty much means that I can't seek funding for the project via something like spot.us or kickstarter.com. The topic isn't strictly political, but I suspect many of my political friends would find it interesting. It's certainly controversial.

If I do pursue this, I may self-fund. Or I may seek a sponsor. My guess at bare-bones expenses is about $200. My guess at research (including at least 24 hours of time on the ground completely "inside" the target entity) is about 50 hours.

If I do hook up with a sponsor, the commitment on my part will be:

• To use the money in the ways I explain in advance (naturally I'll identify the subject of the reporting and how I plan to approach that subject);
• To produce a report of my experiences and conclusions for the sponsor's eyes;
• To accept the sponsor's decision on whether to turn that report into a feature article, or to continue the research with additional funding and an eye toward a longer work.

I know I'm not giving potential sponsors a lot to go on here, but if what I have said is interesting enough that you want to know more, drop me a line via the contact form.