Nucleo Journalism is a data-driven, technology news website based in Brazil that publishes investigations and analysis about the impact of digital platforms and artificial intelligence in society.
THE BEGINNING: We are a small news organization, focused on impactful reporting and in serving our core audience. Nucleo (which in Portuguese means core) was founded in January 2020 by journalists Sérgio Spagnuolo (ex. Reuters, UN, ICFJ) and Alexandre Orrico (ex. Buzzfeed, Folha de S.Paulo), with a small funding out of their own pockets.
Volt Data Lab, a data-driven news agency based in Brazil and founded by Spagnuolo in 2014, is the holding company behind Nucleo.
IMPACTS: In April 2021, for example, we published a story about how Facebook was being used to sell guns in Brazil, which is illegal, and our reporting led to the platform removing posts and users involved in illegal trading.
We try our best to map the impact we have on our audience and society in this page (Portuguese-only).
Our reporting has been either feature in major news organizations in Brazil or served as reference for them to chase their own reporting.
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AWARDS: In 2022, Nucleo won the top prize for Innovation and Experimentation in the Cláudio Weber Abramo Data Journalism Award with the project BotPonto, a bot that scans YouTube videos to assist in the fight against disinformation.
AUDIENCE: Our journalism is for everyone, but our main readers are decision makers, like civil servants, legal experts, NGO professionals, civic tech entrepreneurs, tech workers, scholars, scientists and journalists, as well as people with keen interest in transparency, public policies, Big Tech accountability and analysis of social media data.
As of July 2024, our audience reached over 1 million visitors in 12 months, as we have around 31,000 newsletter subscribers and +50,000 social media followers.
STAFF: The organization now has around 18 people (editors, reporters, data analysts, designers), among staff and freelancers. We also have a 6-person independent Consulting Board that helps us in journalism, technology and innovation strategies. Here is our team.
REVENUE MODEL
Nucleo pay its bills mostly by providing news and tech products to a very niche, engaged audience.
We currently have subscriptions to our website and to specific newsletters, as well as a few tech-based products – like Legislatech, a tool that monitors legislation and public documents in Brazil.
We also receive voluntary donations of readers and we are currently developing a membership program to allow people to contribute with us on a regular basis.
We also partner with other news organizations or NGOs that need our reporting and technical expertise for projects that fits our mission.
Nucleo also applies for project-based grants, reporting grants and institutional funding on a regular basis, some of which may include money from Big Tech, like Google and Meta, for which we adopt strict policies to prevene any sort of interference in our editorial independence. Past institutional funders included the Luminate Group, Instituto Serrapilheira and the International Center for Journalists.
OUTSIDE FUNDING
We are actively looking for funding, from people and institutions interested in supporting serious, evidence-based independent journalism.
Our basic requirements for receiving any outside money are:
- we have to be able to disclose the funder's name and value invested or donated, and;
- we need maintain complete journalistic and editorial autonomy from any funders, donors or investors.
REACH OUT
Last update: July, 2024