Journalism Cloud Alliance

A SMARTER, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR JOURNALISM

The JCA is driving a transformative approach to technology in investigative journalism and data newsrooms. Through collaboration, collective action, and strategic partnerships, we are making cloud-based infrastructure and services more accessible, secure, affordable, and sustainable for newsrooms worldwide.

By uniting public-interest organisations under one powerful coalition, we are shaping a new model for secure, cost-effective, and future-ready journalism technology, while capitalising on the opportunity to turn this co-operative model into a revenue-making model for the community.

EMPOWERING JOURNALISM FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Access to independent, high-quality investigative journalism has never been so important. Yet, the cloud-based software tools that enable journalism to uncover corruption, shed light on organised crime and hold institutions to account come with precipitous financial, security, data privacy, and accessibility challenges.

Rising expenses for cloud computing, AI tools, and big data infrastructure are threatening the future of public-interest journalism and the impact it can have at a time when our democratic future is most at risk.

WHAT THE DATA SAYS

• According to our Tech Audit, a majority of the organisations indicated that their current computational and cloud infrastructure does not empower them to pursue the journalism work or investigations they envision for the next 2-to-3 years
• All organisations expect large volumes of data storing and processing to play an increasingly larger role in their activities over the next 2-to-3 years. On average, a 100% increase in spending is expected.
• Most organisations that we surveyed spend around 15-20% of their budget on technology costs including staffing and human resources – even the smallest spend tens of thousands of USD. And when costs need to be cut, the technology goes first.