Not long after setting up a corporate entity to better sustain the website’s operations, The Online Citizen (TOC) is already short on cash.

It announced to its readers on Nov. 24 that there would be a reduction in content on the website as the team turns its attention to seeking funds. “Our funds are extremely low, as subscriptions have not been forthcoming and donations have dwindled. Whatever funds we have left now would be directed towards maintaining our web server, to keep the website online,” they wrote.

TOC’s problem is neither surprising nor unique. Money is a huge problem for journalism – not to mention citizen journalism – outlets everywhere. The digital world has opened up plenty of opportunities for the media, but also many obstacles to navigate. And figuring out how to earn money from digital content is pretty much Problem #1 for most media groups – be they business entities or non-profits just hoping to survive.

TOC’s hope of generating revenue from a subscription model – $180 a year for more exclusive content – has not paid off yet. Howard Lee, director of The Opinion Collaborative Ltd and editor of TOC, told The Straits Times that there were only 50 subscribers to its exclusive content, way below their target number of 600.

People are not willing to pay for online content, especially when they think they can, or should, get the news for free. But content – researched, written, edited content – needs to be funded. Journalists and editors need to be compensated for their time and their effort.

TOC is no different. Although it started off as a volunteer-based, citizen journalism site, running the site has always been time intensive. TOC’s best moments were when they did original reporting: their focus weeks on migrant labour and homelessness, as well as their on-the-ground coverage during the 2011 General Election. All of it required manpower; people dedicating large amounts of time to hit the streets or dig into statistics and reports. This doesn’t even include the editing (or at least proof-reading) required, nor the backend work that goes into maintaining a website with heavy traffic.

Mainstream media outlets like The Straits Times are unrivalled in their news-gathering, and will continue to dominate the market simply because they have a lot more resources than everyone else in this small pond of local news content. Yet the mainstream media leaves giant holes in Singaporean coverage: there are stories that they simply do not touch, or will only gently prod. We’ll be missing out on huge swathes of diverse – and yes, dissenting – voices in Singapore if we allow ourselves to solely depend on the mainstream media. Platforms like TOC thus provide a vital service as Singaporean society matures.

[quip float="pqright"]Yet the mainstream media leaves giant holes in Singaporean coverage: there are stories that they simply do not touch, or will only gently prod. We’ll be missing out on huge swathes of diverse – and yes, dissenting – voices in Singapore if we allow ourselves to solely depend on the mainstream media. [/quip]

It’s also in Singapore’s interest that TOC professionalise. Admittedly, I’m not saying this as a neutral bystander: TOC gave me my start even before I fully realised I wanted to be a journalist. But a professional TOC means better standards, a stronger editorial team who can devote themselves to finding (and funding) good stories written by credible writers. A professional TOC means a TOC that won’t have to accept random op-eds just to meet the daily quota of published articles (which was something we had to do in 2011 when the team was short on volunteers and dedicated contributors).

How should TOC reach this goal, especially after its plans for a (kind of) subscription-based model seems to have fallen through? Katherine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian Australia, has put forward an articulate and spot-on argument against the paywall, which highlights TOC’s reluctance to fully disappear behind a paywall. Yet simply relying on people’s goodwill and willingness to pay for something they can already get for free is both unreliable and unsustainable.

A solution must exist. But it is, frustratingly, just out of sight.

One would hope that Singaporeans will continue to support TOC until this solution is discovered. Helping TOC survive is, after all, one way to challenge the status quo and the dominance of an “official” narrative. It sends a message to the establishment, telling them that Singaporeans are aware that the mainstream media is not the full story, and that we’re watching. It shows that Singaporeans can, and will, take ownership of our own stories.

Top photo from The Online Citizen Facebook.

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