Buy into a better story

Community share offer

Stand up for something better

In the wake of Trump’s victory and Brexit we need to build the kind of media that brings people together.

By this we mean trustworthy journalism that gives the facts; stories that make sense of the complex, beautiful and bewildering world we live in. And critical analysis that offers a road map to a more equal world.

Over the past 44 years, New Internationalist has delivered precisely that.

In these times of 'post-truth' and mistrust, we need to get our perspectives, bright examples and bold ideas out to a wider audience than ever before.

So, to scale-up and keep us strong and flourishing into the future, we are turning to you with a bold investment plan:

In March 2017, we will launch a Community Share Offer.

It will turn New Internationalist into a global media co-operative owned by thousands of ordinary people.

The capital we raise will allow us to survive and thrive into the future - without compromising our core values.

As a community of co-owners, we can pioneer a future-proof model for media ownership. And drive the change we wish to see, together.

Let’s buy into a better story.

More info in our share offer document [PDF]

Endorsements

What people are saying about our CSO

John Pilger Portrait

John Pilger

Journalist and filmmaker

If information is the accelerator of real change – as I believe it is – then NI is invaluable. That’s why I endorse NI’s innovative community share offer. Please give your support.

Lindsey Hilsum Portrait

Lindsey Hilsum

International Editor, Channel 4 News

In this time of fake news and endless online chatter, it’s more important than ever to have the New Internationalist, giving voice to people from the Global South. I was proud to write for it in the early days, and 40 years on it has adapted to modern technology while keeping its roots and integrity.

Billy Bragg Portrait

Billy Bragg

Musician

The election of Donald Trump poses a challenge to progressives everywhere and, at a time when facts are under constant assault from an alt.right determined to muddy the waters, we need to actively support journalists dedicated to holding their feet to the fire. The New Internationalist has a long tradition of such activism — for 500 issues — and is now looking to up the ante. Their community share scheme deserves your support.

Why our readers love New Internationalist

I now realise how very little reporting there is in our press about Cuba, just to give one example, and when there is, how biased it is. Even if most people wanted more information about foreign affairs, the daily press just don’t carry it. For that alone, I will continue to subscribe to your excellent magazine.

Cherry Shelton-Mills, UK

Your brilliant analysis of the banking crisis has amazed me with a depth I had never come across. You poke right down into the crude reality of neo-liberalism. That is the beauty of NI.

Ariel Gallo, Australia

The report on Syria should be awarded a prize and read by all world leaders.

Robert Wrubleski, Canada

Simply fantastic how you stir the conscience in search of not just political but moral answers in your refugee crisis issue.

Nerea Larrañaga Heras, Basque Country

Beautiful journalism with facts and heart, a rare combo.

Canadian Subscriber

Suddenly Ebola doesn't seem an ‘old’ story in a distant place at all. Brilliant.

Anna Seward, UK

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can buy shares?

Anyone can invest, from anywhere in the world, as long as they are aged 16 or over.

How much investment is being raised?

A minimum of £500,000 (apx. US$620,000). We have crunched the numbers and come up with a carefully costed plan, and this is the minimum we need to turn our business around.

When can I buy shares?

The share offer opens on 1 March, 2017 and runs until 6 April at 6pm.

How much do shares cost?

Shares have a nominal value of £1 ($1.24) each. The minimum investment is £50 ($62) and maximum is £100,000 ($124,000).

What is a Community Share Offer?

A community share offer is an invitation to invest in a business that serves a social purpose.

It’s different from a conventional public share offer because rather than profit being the primary motivating factor, the focus of the investment is the social benefits — it’s about investing in the kind of world you would like to live in.

Shares are ‘potential repayable philanthropy’ which investors may be able to withdraw if the enterprise is secure and sustainable. In return for their capital, investors get to co-own and have a say in how the organization is run.

Community shares can only be issued by co-operative and community benefit societies. Unlike ordinary shares, no investor can take control and shares cannot be sold on. Members have just one vote, regardless of how much they invest, and there’s an upper limit to stop a society being dependent on a handful of large investors.

It’s a way to build co-operative and community ownership and has been growing in popularity in recent years. It’s more commonly used to buy assets like community buildings, solar panels or football clubs, but more recently media organizations are following suit. Positive News magazine raised £263,000 in 2015 and the Community Channel TV station attracted £390,000 in 2016, making community share offers through crowdfunding a tried-and-tested model for independent media.

You can learn more on the Community Shares website

Spread the word!

Help get the word out by printing these downloadable flyers and sharing them with friends and family and in your workplace or community.

Next

Spread the word!

On Twitter:

Simply choose a tweet and click "tweet this" — you can edit the text to personalize it if you want






On Facebook and LinkedIn:

Just copy and paste the text below into a post and add one of the shareable images

Do you believe the world needs more truly independent journalism, with facts and heart? Even better, do you want to be part of a movement that drives the change we wish to see, together? After 44 years and 500 issues of pioneering ethical journalism, New Internationalist is becoming owned by the people! You can buy shares through its #FactsAndHeart crowdfunding campaign and have a say in how the organisation is run. Let’s buy into a better story. Join today: https://factsandheart.org

Shareable Images

We have made some easily shareable images for use on social media. The images below are links to the full size images. Open the full-size image you want to use and copy it with right click and "save image as" or your browser's equivalent.

For Twitter

Proud to be a co-owner!
I'm investing...

For Facebook and LinkedIn

Proud to be a co-owner!
I'm investing...

Suggested email text

You can use this text to share with friends and family in email or on other social platforms.

Fancy owning a piece of the media pie?

To get to grips with the challenges facing our world we are going to need knowledge, not clickbait.

But the uncertainties of the information age is making it harder than ever for trusted, independent media to survive. In the face of this panorama, the New Internationalist magazine is embarking on a bold experiment: a new model for media ownership, with the audience at its core. On 1 March they launched a community share offer with an all-or-nothing £500,000 target. At the end of it, they will be entirely owned by their audience and supporters.

In this era of fake news and intensifying concentration of media ownership, the public response has been overwhelming. With two weeks to go, the Buy into a Better Story campaign has attracted £300,000 in investment from over 1,300 ordinary citizens across the world. In return they become co-owners, custodians over the magazine’s socially conscious mission and with a say in how it is run. Actor Emma Thompson was among the first to invest, and other supporters include musicians Jarvis Cocker and Billy Bragg, and journalists George Monbiot and Lindsey Hilsum.

*Find out more*: watch the video, read the business plan and share offer and see how the Crowdfunder is doing by visiting https://factsandheart.org.

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Invest today!

If you are interested in becoming a co-owner of New Internationalist, go to our crowdfunder page
Hurry though — the offer closes on 6 April.