Note! Join us Thursday at noon ET for a Going Solo open house! This is a great chance to get your questions answered about the program, and see if it's a fit for you. Register here. See you there!

Shining a light on independent journalism worldwide

In July, we launched the inaugural Top 50 Creator-Model Journalists list. From the beginning, that project was meant to be a starting point, not a finish line. Today, we’re excited to share the next step in surfacing the best, most impactful independent creator-journalists around the world.

In partnership with ICFJ+, the International Center for Journalists’ technology and support organization, we’re curating the first four regional “Creator-Model Journalists to Watch” lists. These non-ranked collections will spotlight standout creator-model journalists working in Latin America, the Middle East, South & Southeast Asia, and Africa – with more regions to follow in 2026.

Why does this matter? Independent creators are reshaping the information ecosystem. They’re reaching audiences directly through newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, TikTok feeds, Instagram stories, and even print. They’re building trusted relationships with their communities, innovating with new platforms, and filling urgent gaps in coverage that traditional news outlets often miss.

Journalists and creators like Bisan Owda in Gaza, Anita Li in Canada, Yuri Fernandes’ Colabora in Brazil, Aqsa Shaikh (aka Doctor Saheba) in India (and more we’ll be announcing soon) are proving that direct connection, credibility, and service can thrive in this new model.

Through these lists, we want to start answering some critical questions:

• Who are these creators?

• What communities do they serve?

• Which platforms are they using most effectively?

• What models are sustaining them?

• And what impact are they having on their communities?

🛠 How it will work

This fall, we’ll release four preview articles, each highlighting 4–5 archetypal creators from one region as case studies. The first, focused on Latin America, will drop in October. Each article will include a call for nominations, so you can help us surface more voices for consideration. The full regional lists will be released in 2026.

These spotlights will showcase creators who are leading in audience connection, community service, and sustainable practice — and provide funders, partners, and newsrooms with a vivid picture of who is driving the next chapter of journalism globally.

Stay tuned. There’s so much more to come — and we’d love your help. Nominate a journalist for inclusion here or just scan this QR code:

About free speech

In the past week, both journalist Karen Attiah and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel were silenced by media companies for sharing opinions about the conversation around the death of Charlie Kirk that diverge from the Trump administration’s viewpoint. Their words were not egregious or hate-speech. In both cases, they were critiquing the response and talking points of the right. The very definition of free speech. In Attiah’s case, she lost her job at The Washington Post. In Kimmel’s, Disney pulled his show indefinitely after a not-so-veiled threat from FCC chairman Brendan Carr.

What seemed like a few billionaires willing to capitulate to Trump six months ago is now feeling much more like a coordinated attack on free speech and the silencing of dissenting voices. The quickest, most effective way to do this is to target media companies and technology platforms who rely on the government for friendly policies, lucrative contracts and approval of deals that make them and their investors millions.

Independent journalism is more important than ever – work that is not controlled by a billionaire owner, a board of directors or driven by stock value or VC investment return models. The kind of work we support here at Project C.

So in this moment, what can you do?

Support independent journalism.

• Karen Attiah is not only asking her audience to pay for a subscription to her newsletter, she’s continuing to enroll students in her Resistance Studies course (registration is open through tomorrow - Friday). You can also donate to support the course.

• The Project C Back Indie Media Drive is ongoing throughout the month. Choose from 30+ independent journalists publishing their work without the backing or support of a major company. Your subscription will allow them to keep doing vital work.

• Sponsor a journalist who wants to go solo. Registration is open now for the fall Going Solo cohort and at $1,000 a seat, it’s expensive. If you’d like to sponsor a seat for a journalist who wants to go the independent route, reach out to me directly at [email protected].