The Journalism Cloud Alliance (JCA) held its annual in-person meeting on April 9 in Perugia during the International Journalism Festival, bringing together members and partners to assess progress, exchange insights, and define the Alliance’s next steps toward a more resilient digital future for journalism.
| 24. April 2025
Launched in April 2024 and convened by GFMD and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Journalism Cloud Alliance (JCA) is addressing the critical challenges faced by investigative journalism and data newsrooms arising from the significant expenses and constraints associated with cloud computing. As of April 2025, the Journalism Cloud Alliance consists of 31 members working across six continents. These members are supported by 11 academic, technology, and philanthropic partners, notably the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
The JCA was formed to help newsrooms tackle the rising cost of technology — with cloud services sometimes consuming up to 25% of newsroom budgets — and to provide privacy-respecting, jurisdiction-aware alternatives to dominant Big Tech platforms. Over the past year, the Alliance has built a strong proof of concept, and with momentum accelerating since early 2025, it is moving toward creating a scalable, structured platform for collective action.
European and U.S. funders have recognised the risks posed by the overreliance on U.S.-based tech giants and are increasingly investing in alternative public cloud infrastructure to support democratic resilience and independent journalism.
Participants discussed the development of the Cloud Exchange — a platform that will offer vetted, privacy-conscious cloud services, enable collective bargaining for discounts, and provide infrastructure advice, architecture support, and data security expertise. Emphasis was placed on compliance with regulatory frameworks such as the GDPR and on ensuring that storage and processing solutions are tailored to the specific needs of investigative journalism.
The Alliance’s technical roadmap will focus on making data storage and processing more accessible, affordable, and secure for newsrooms worldwide.
From left to right: Tin Geber (Draftlab.org), Paul Radu (OCCRP), Mira Milosevic (GFMD), and Michael Oghia (GFMD)
The meeting also prioritised discussions on formalising the Alliance’s governance. Currently operating under an informal structure, JCA members considered models for sustainable, scalable coordination, including a steward-ownership approach, a two- to three-tier membership system, and establishing a Netherlands-based foundation to accommodate non-profit-business hybrid operations.
In addition to managing services, the Alliance aims to incorporate policy advocacy and public-interest technology governance into its organisational framework.
Participants endorsed a start-up-style, minimum viable product (MVP) strategy to accelerate development: building a small core team to test governance, infrastructure, and legal models quickly, while parallel working groups define the Alliance’s ethics, mission, and membership criteria. This agile approach will prioritise fast iteration and continual feedback to keep the Alliance adaptable in an evolving digital landscape.
The Alliance will continue engaging with strategic partners, supporters, and funders in the coming months, including through upcoming events such as UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day, Dataharvest, and the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC). Advocacy efforts will centre on promoting digital public infrastructure designed with human rights and public interest at its core.
For further inquiries about the JCA, please contact Michael J. Oghia, the JCA’s project manager, at: moghia@gfmd.eu