Italy’s new crowdfunded foreign correspondents

Andrea Marinelli, Emanuela Zuccalà, Barbara Schiavulli

(by Alessia Cerantola for the BBC Academy)

When Andrea Marinelli, an Italian freelance journalist, decided to cover the Republican Party presidential primaries in 2012, he started without an assignment or a supporting newspaper.

Like most of the new generation of self-employed reporters from Italy, he knew he couldn’t count on the paltry income from published stories with media outlets to even cover his travel expenses.

Having spent all his savings on low-budget motels and flights during the first part of the electoral tour, he made an announcement through a blog he had started weeks before that had been followed by thousands of fans. He said that in order to continue his travels he would need his readers' help. His appeal produced $5,000 and he was able to continue to follow all the primaries - through couch surfing, travelling on buses and using free wi-fi.Like most of the new generation of self-employed reporters from Italy, he knew he couldn’t count on the paltry income from published stories with media outlets to even cover his travel expenses. Continue reading here.

---