Civil.co describes itself as “The Decentralized Marketplace for Sustainable Journalism.”
Its mission is “to help power sustainable journalism throughout the world.”
“We believe in a new approach that takes advertisers and other third-party interests out of the equation, enabling journalists and readers to connect directly and focus on telling impactful stories.”
An initial takeaway is that Civil is not a publisher; it’s a platform for publishers. More specifically, it’s a platform for independent “newsrooms” that agree to adhere to its constitution. “The Civil Constitution outlines what does — and does not — constitute ethical journalism on Civil.”
There is a series of checks and balances in place designed to foster ethical journalism.
In regards to blockchain and cryptocurrency, “Civil’s cryptoeconomic model seeks to enable a more direct, transparent relationship between journalists and citizens, while using blockchain to also strengthen protections for journalists against censorship and intellectual property violations.”
What’s particularly unique is that people can vote on whether any of its newsrooms violate Civil’s journalism standards as established by it constitution.
There’s also a “Civil Council” for appeals to controversies over veracity that may be driven by, among other factors, herd mentality.
Or, in other words, just because information is unpopular does not mean it can be relegated to irrelevance or obscurity.
All this sounds promising, as the world of journalism is in a tailspin in terms of economic viability and public respect.
At a minimum, new ideas are needed and Civil is certainly that.