Skyping with Mother Jones

The Society of Professional Journalists hosted a video chat with Mother Jones publisher Steve Katz and reporter Kate Sheppard, Monday night.

Students learned about the role Mother Jones played in releasing the controversial Mitt Romney 47 percent video released last week. They also learned about the advantages and disadvantages of working for independent media.

Katz started the discussion talking about the challenges and benefits of working for a non-profit magazine.Mother Jones is funded 40 percent by magazine subscriptions and advertising in print and online. Sixty percent of funding comes from individual donations. Katz stressed the importance for smaller publications of getting funding from multiple sources because they are not reliant on any advertisers or on the state of the economy. He said one of the most difficult aspects of being from a smaller independent media outlet is the fact they have to fight hard to gain exposure, which can give them trouble in increasing capital to attract investors in order to expand. However, Katz said the mission of the outlet over weighs any difficulties they may have along the way. Mother Jones goes after stories and reports issues that are more integrated with politics and corporations than other media outlets that do not feel comfortable following through with these controversial issues. 

 Sheppard, an ‘06 journalism graduate of IC, gave advice to students about diversifying their education. She spoke about her career path that led her to independent media (she originally was an editor for Buzzsaw Magazine on campus) and her love of investigative journalism. It was amazing to see and get suggestions from a successful alumnus.

     

The moment during this conversation that meant the most to me was the description of the atmosphere of the newsroom after the release of the Romney video. Katz described a feeling of connection and pride that you can only get in this small, more intimate newsroom. Kate was on the road at the time and said she noticed the recognition of the name Mother Jones right away. The day before in interviews, people were asking if she wrote for a parenting magazine, and the next day they stood awestruck asking many questions about the unveiled video. It is nice to see Mother Jones finally getting the recognition they deserve for solid investigative journalism.