Hell Gate (website)
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''Hell Gate NYC'' is an online
worker-owned A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which ...
publication focused on local New York City news. The publication is named after the Hell Gate Bridge, due to the bridge's reputation for tenacity. ''Hell Gate'' covers a wide range of topics that include, but are not limited to,
political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary, but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, in ...
, local
street performers Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pra ...
, and strange subway advertisements.


History

The founders of ''Hell Gate'', Nick Pinto, Esther Wang, Christopher Robbins, Max Rivlin-Nadler, and Sydney Pereira, began developing the idea for the publication in 2021. Many of them were former coworkers at local publications such as the '' Village Voice, The New York Times,'' and ''
Gothamist Gothamist LLC is the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage. It was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung. In March 2017, Joe Ricketts, ...
,'' as well as non-NYC publications such as '' Jezebel'' and ''The Intercept''. Pinto, Robbins, and Rivin-Nadler had all faced job instability as journalists due to companies mismanaging resources, lacking funding, and cutting budgets. In January 2022, they pitched the idea of ''Hell Gate'' to fifty local journalists, and recruited Pereira and Wang. The team decided that their publication would have a snarky tone like pre-acquisition ''Gothamist,'' and that they would approach stories from a human rights-oriented perspective. Hell Gate launched the website as a test on 2 May 2022, and launched in full two months later.


Business model

''Hell Gate'''s initial funding came from two New York-based organizations for the arts: a $25,000 grant from The Harnisch Foundation, and a $50,000 grant from the Vital Projects Fund. It supports its journalism with tiered subscriptions to access its articles behind a
paywall A paywall is a method of restricting access to content, with a purchase or a paid subscription, especially news. Beginning in the mid-2010s, newspapers started implementing paywalls on their websites as a way to increase revenue after years of ...
. The founders believed that a subscription-funded business would work. , the site had 2,500 paid subscribers and 200,000 monthly visits. To keep costs down, they wrote from home and published online, using the same provider as Defector Media, another worker-owned cooperative. ''Hell Gate'' is a worker-owned cooperative, meaning all of the owners have the job of reporter, editor, and managing the business. They also hire freelancers. As of March 2024, all of the worker-owners were paid $60,000 per year. The company offers three monthly paid tiers: friend ($6.99), supporter ($9.99), and believer ($19.99). They also have annual subscriptions, with the corresponding tiers being $70, $100, and $200. ''Hell Gate'' also offers a free newsletter. Advertisements are not a major source of revenue. Half of its revenue comes from donations.


Reception

''Hell Gate'' has been identified by numerous outlets to be part of a resurgence in indie publishing. They have been favorably compared to other worker-owned sites like '' Defector'' and ''
404 Media ''404 Media'' is an online publication focusing on technology and internet reporting. The publication covers topics such as hacker, hacking, sex work, niche online communities, and the right to repair movement. The publication is worker-owned. ...
.''{{Cite web , last=Silverman , first=Justin R. , date=April 18, 2024 , title=404 Media and the hopes of worker-owned journalism , url=https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/404-media-and-the-hopes-of-worker-owned-journalism.php , access-date=2024-04-28 , website=Columbia Journalism Review , language=en


See also

* ''amNewYork Metro'' * ''
Gothamist Gothamist LLC is the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage. It was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung. In March 2017, Joe Ricketts, ...
'' * ''The City'' *''
The Indypendent ''The Indypendent'' is a progressive newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York. It is published monthly, distributed worldwide and is available for free throughout New York City and online. It currently prints 30,000 copies per issue, covering local ...
''


References

Employee-owned companies of the United States Mass media in New York City Internet properties established in 2021 American blogs Cooperatives based in New York (state)