Since 2015 already, The cross appeals to the generosity of its readers. Its economic model is essentially based on subscription, and little – compared to other media – on advertising. To carry out the new projects necessary for its development, the daily has chosen, from this Tuesday, April 11, to also call on major donors, according to the model of the British The Guardian.
« The cross carries a singular and essential voice for democracy”explains Jérôme Chapuis, editorial director, who intends “to create new entry points to lead to the reading of our content”.
Three concrete projects
In concrete terms, three projects will benefit from the funds raised: the creation of a new digital publication tool, the redesign of the website and the mobile application, and the development of new offers aimed at younger audiences. ambitions that “require resources and certain skills that we still lack to this day”says Jérôme Chapuis.
This donation campaign is based on a support committee made up of eight personalities from the world of associations, business and new technologies, who invest themselves personally and on a voluntary basis by mobilizing their networks. It is chaired by Pierre-André de Chalendar (chairman of the board of directors of the Saint-Gobain group), and vice-chaired by Augustin Paluel-Marmont (co-founder of Michel et Augustin). For Pierre-André de Chalendar, at a time when “our society is experiencing a transmission crisis,” he imports “to transmit an ethics of information and a qualitative and contextualized way of obtaining information”.
Donors committed to respecting the editorial independence of “La Croix”
Like its six other members (Catherine Barba, Isabelle Gougenheim, Frédéric Lavenir, Father Barthélemy Port, Ayyam Sureau and Florence Verzelen), they were chosen – and accepted – because “they have in common the attachment to the project of The cross and pluralism of the press”underlines Philippe Colombet, director of the newspaper.
All are committed “as future donors will have to do, not to intervene in any way in the editorial choices of the newspaper”, assures Jérôme Chapuis. The support committee has set itself the goal of raising 3 million euros over three years, through dedicated campaigns and events.