Why journalism needs a marketplace model

A marketplace approach would let established outlets produce their own reporting while curating high-quality work from independent journalists and nonprofit newsrooms.”

Gerry Harrington, a journalist and former CNN executive producer who also writes a Substack newsletter, The Harrington Post

Legacy newsrooms grappling with shrinking audiences and fractured public trust need a new model — borrowed not from journalism but from commerce.

Think of Amazon. It sells products while also hosting independent sellers. The same hybrid model could work for journalism.

Imagine The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune as hybrid marketplaces — curated platforms that still produce their own excellent journalism but also host responsible reporting from vetted independent journalists and nonprofit newsrooms.

The model has precedent

This isn’t radical. It’s evolutionary.

The Associated Press enables member newspapers to share their local news reports to supplement its own coverage. This cooperative model now operates through AP StoryShare, a platform that distributes member stories across the network.

Though limited to member papers, the AP’s model shows how institutional platforms can amplify local reporting.

“No individual newspaper — especially not local dailies like The News — could afford to offer that kind of reach,” noted a regional editor of The Alpena (Michigan) News, which has a daily circulation of less than 6,000.

United Press International collaborates differently. It now supplements its own coverage with pieces from “The Conversation,” a nonprofit news organization publishing reports and commentaries from academics under Creative Commons licenses.

But conditions today demand expanding these models to include independent journalists and nonprofit newsrooms that are reshaping how audiences consume news.

How people get news is changing

Before the internet, news came almost exclusively from newspapers and broadcast outlets. That’s changed.

Now it arrives through algorithmic feeds and curated apps.

“News might appear on your ‘For You’ page or in a quick scroll through Apple News,” said “Information Literacy: A Practical Guide,” a 2025 textbook from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. “It no longer requires the same deliberate effort as sitting down to watch a broadcast or read a newspaper.”

Social media platforms now deliver news directly. In May, the Pew Research Center said 38% of U.S. adults regularly get news from Facebook and 35% from YouTube.

Pew also found Americans increasingly saw news as personal — shaped by identity and interest.

Independent journalist Johnny Harris said younger audiences defined news as “something that teaches them about the world and feels relevant to their lives.”

The result is that individual journalists now often matter as much as the outlets they work for.

Some readers follow White House correspondent Maggie Haberman as closely as they follow The New York Times. Many independent journalists trained in legacy newsrooms now attract audiences that rival or exceed those of their former employers.

Legacy media outlets can fight the trend — or harness it.

The expanded model

A marketplace approach would let established outlets produce their own reporting while curating high-quality work from independent journalists and nonprofit newsrooms. The outlets would verify facts, apply editorial judgment and frame coverage — but acknowledge they’re not just publishers; they’re platforms too. Contributors would be clearly identified, with transparent disclosures of affiliations, and the same editorial standards would be applied to their work as to staff reporting.

Independent journalists would post or license stories through the platform. The outlet would gain coverage, diverse perspectives and relevance without adding full-time staff. The contributors would gain visibility and credibility through the institutional platform.

Readers would benefit from a trusted environment that blends the diversity of voices with editorial discipline — something no social platform or Substack feed can match.

Why it matters

Opening the gates might seem to risk decades-old brands — and threaten the institutional control editors have traditionally held. But a greater risk is irrelevance: losing audiences to independent platforms they could have partnered with instead.

The marketplace approach addresses both business and civic imperatives.

Contributors would be compensated based on the reach and engagement of their work. Their followings would help retain readers who might otherwise leave for Substack or independent platforms.

More importantly, the model serves journalism's civic purpose: providing trusted information in a fragmented media landscape where no single institution can meet the public's needs alone.

Independent journalists aren’t the competition. They’re part of the ecosystem. Legacy outlets that recognize this can evolve from gatekeepers into stewards — platforms that both produce and elevate trusted journalism.

Gerry Harrington is a journalist and former CNN executive producer who covered breaking news for United Press International. His Substack newsletter, The Harrington Post, focuses on overlooked angles in journalism, politics and technology. Read more at https://gerryharrington3.substack.com/.