C.R.E.A.M., the anthem of Indy Journalists

C.R.E.A.M or Cash Rules Everything Around Me, formally known as an anthem of the hip hop artists- the Wu-Tang Clan- can now also represent independent media creators' struggle to produce in-depth investigations while remaining uncontrolled by corporate media.

Ever since I told my parents (both of whom work in the medical field) I wanted to become a journalist, they have stressed to me the competitiveness of the market.

"It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of luck to have a job in the field in which you can make a comfortable lifestyle!" My dad says to me constantly.

With the pressure from my parents, and the presence of corporate media everywhere I looked I use to think that options for my future were slim. And never did I consider that perhaps blogging could be a viable choice for an aspiring journalist…

Don't get me wrong, I use a lot of independent media blogs to get my news. But I always assumed that the lifestyle was not a primary source of revenue. As a consumer of news and an avid internet user, I expect to get information for free! So if I'm receiving information for free, where would the revenue for these bloggers come from?

Of course there's advertising. But beyond that- there is something much more special.

Fans.

Independent media sites, bloggers, freelance writers, investigative journalists have all discovered that if they produce factual, just, and influential writing about topics that their readers or fans are passionate about- then their readers will want to support them to do more of it.

For example, Shane Bauer, a journalist who was imprisoned in Iran for 26 months is now using a platform called Beacon to raise funds for his investigation of the American prison system. Bauer is known not only for his imprisonment but also for his writing, and therefore could gain a lot more attention if pairing with a corporate media platform. However, he in confident in his readership that he can do the project independently with a little help with funding.

Because of Bauer and other indy news sites- I'm more confident about the C.R.E.A.M. lifestyle of the investigative reporter. Perhaps paying for content is in fact something of the past- but supporting the content you want created- seems to be indy media's cash money.