Journalism Cloud Alliance

The infrastructure behind public-interest journalism

Launched in April 2024, the Journalism Cloud Alliance (JCA) brings together investigative organisations, data newsrooms, and public interest initiatives that are struggling with the cost, complexity, and constraints of commercial cloud computing.

Our goal is simple but ambitious: to build shared infrastructure and services that are more secure, more affordable, and designed for the public interest – not for ad-tech or surveillance capitalism.

OUR VISION

Convened by the GFMD and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), we are building a structured, scalable Alliance that:

  • Reduces cloud computing costs for investigative and data newsrooms;
  • Strengthens security, privacy, and digital resilience; and
  • Supports innovation across investigative journalism and public-interest initiatives.

Over the next three years, we are developing the JCA into a bottom-up, community-driven, non-profit social enterprise. Acting as an intermediary between our members and trusted technology partners, we will secure preferential rates, shared infrastructure, and tailored services – and, in time, move towards a purpose-built cloud for civil society, and eventually community-owned cloud infrastructure.

A SMARTER, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR JOURNALISM

Access to independent, high-quality investigative journalism has never been more important. Yet the tools required to do this work – cloud services, artificial intelligence tools, and big data infrastructure – are becoming more expensive, more complex, and harder to control.

The JCA is reshaping how technology works for journalism by:

  • Using collective bargaining to lower costs.
  • Pooling expertise to design fit-for-purpose architectures.
  • Aligning with partners who share our values of openness, safety, and human rights.
  • Exploring new revenue models that circulate value back into the community.

By uniting public-interest organisations under one coalition, we are building a co-operative, digital public good model for public-interest technology that is secure, cost-effective, and future-ready.

WHAT THE DATA SAYS

Our foundational scoping survey and in-depth tech audit show a clear pattern:

  • Most organisations say their current cloud and computational infrastructure will not support the work they want to do in the next 2-3 years.
  • All organisations expect data storage and processing needs to grow significantly, with an average 100% increase in technology spending projected.
  • Many newsrooms and civil society organisations already spend 15-20% of their budgets on technology, including staffing – even the smallest spend tens of thousands of USD each year. And when budgets are cut, technology is often the first to suffer.

In short: technology costs and constraints are limiting the journalism and accountability work our members are able to do. The JCA is our collective response.

THE NEXT PHASE: FROM ALLIANCE TO SERVICE

We are now preparing the minimum viable service (MVS) that will translate the Alliance’s work into concrete, usable infrastructure, services, and support.

This next phase includes:

  • Designing and building the technical architecture of the MVS;
  • Piloting and testing shared infrastructure bundles with member organisations;
  • Refining governance, sustainability, and support models; and
  • Preparing pathways towards a dedicated cloud for civil society.

To make this work, we need continued input from the organisations we serve. Help us respond to your needs by filling out our Quick Support Request Form:

OUR PROGRESS SO FAR

  • November 2025: Received a grant from the Adessium Foundation to begin work on realising the minimum viable service, including its technical architecture, buildout, piloting, and testing.
  • Summer 2025: Began working with the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) on business development and to help refine the JCA’s business model, as well as Morrison & Foerster LLP, who is offering legal assistance with shaping the governance structure, identifying a suitable legal entity, and advising on related legal matters.
  • April 2025: The Alliance convened for the second in-person meeting in Perugia, Italy, to decide on the next steps for the JCA’s governance, MVS, and action plan.
  • January 2025: Concluded an in-depth technology audit of multiple Alliance members and partners to follow up on the survey’s results and explore their cloud service and infrastructure use and costs.
  • April 2024: The JCA is launched at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.
  • March 2024: Conducted a foundational scoping survey to understand industry needs and generated a comprehensive analysis of cloud market trends and their implications for investigative journalism.

MEMBERS AND PARTNERS

As of November 2025, the JCA consists of 36 members working across six continents. In addition to GFMD and OCCRP, its members include:

  • Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC)
  • Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
  • Arena for Journalism in Europe
  • Associação de Jornalismo Digital (Ajor)
  • Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
  • Bellingcat
  • Big Local News
  • Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji)
  • Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (BIRD)
  • Center for Journalism and Liberty
  • Connectas
  • CORRECTIV
  • Daily Maverick
  • Daraj
  • Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets)
  • Follow the Money
  • Forbidden Stories
  • Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
  • HURIDOCS
  • International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
  • International Fact-Checking Network
  • Investigate Europe
  • IStories
  • Kloop Media
  • Meduza
  • Mnemonic
  • MuckRock
  • Oštro
  • Paper Trail Media
  • Pluro Labs
  • Pulitzer Center
  • Star Tribune
  • Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)
  • Superbloom

These members are supported by 16 academic, technology, and philanthropic partners, notably the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and the Adessium Foundation.

CONTACT US

If you have questions, please reach out to Michael J. Oghia, the JCA’s project manager, at: moghia@gfmd.eu

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