The Information (website)
 | |
| Industry | Digital media |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 2013 |
| Founder | Jessica Lessin |
| Headquarters | San Francisco |
Number of employees | 38[1] |
| Website | www |
The Information, legally the Lessin Media Company, is a subscription-based technology publication founded by journalist Jessica Lessin.[2]
History and operations
Jessica Lessin, a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal, founded The Information as a subscription-based news website marketed to technology-sector executives in December 2013.[3][4][5] Lessin later formed an advisory board which included venture capitalist John Doerr, Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei, and ProPublica executive chairman Paul Steiger.[6]
Lessin has stated that she wants The Information to eventually reach the point where it is spending more than either The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, and stated "Our ambition isn’t to build a subscription business — our goal is to build the most impactful news organization for the next century".[7]
In February 2020, the company announced a partnership with Bloomberg Media, enabling customers to purchase a year-long joint bundle.[8] The Financial Times reported in November 2021 that the publication has 225,000 "users", a figure that includes subscribers and individuals who have signed up for newsletters.[9]
Networking
The Information publishes content behind a paywall. A basic subscription allows access to the site and access to global networking events.[2][10] In October 2016, it was announced that a student edition and Investor level would be added to the subscription levels. An Investor subscription includes private monthly conference calls and in-person briefings with the reporting team.[11][12]
In July 2022, it was reported that Lessin intends for The Information to launch a social networking service for subscribers, stating that platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have grown too large to be able to curate strong connections.[9]
Asia Bureau
In addition to its San Francisco headquarters, the company operates an Asia bureau headed by Shai Oster.[12] The company held an international networking event 2016 in Beijing, where annual subscribers met with leaders from Asian companies such as electronics company Xiaomi, venture capital firm Shunwei Capital, and investment management firm Hillhouse Capital Group.[2][13]
Content and impact
The publication focuses on in-depth, data-driven analysis and exclusive investigative stories. Forbes reported that stories reported in The Information led to the site contributing to over $97 billion worth of brokered industry deals since its founding.[10]
In April 2017, The Information announced the launch of Briefing, a new feature to the site consisting of a list of daily headlines with commentary on articles from other news sources.[14][15] In December 2019, the company launched ‘The Tech Top 10’, a basic, consumer-focused offering.[16] In 2021, the company launched The Electric, its first standalone subscription publication, which focuses on electric vehicle news.[17]
Recognition
Vanity Fair included The Information on its 2014 New Establishment list.[3]
References
- ^ "About Us". The Information. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Merissa Marr. "Inside (The) Information". Columbia Journalism Review.
- ^ a b Joe Pompeo (October 24, 2016). "The Morning Media Profile: Jessica Lessin's rise from reporter to entrepreneur". Politico.
- ^ Mike Isaac (December 4, 2013). "Ex-WSJ Reporter's New Subscription Tech Site, The Information, Launches". All Things D.
- ^ Abigail Edge (March 19, 2014). "Why The Information chose to follow a paywall model". Journalism.co.uk.
- ^ Mathew Ingram (August 5, 2016). "The Founder of The Information on What Media Companies Are Doing Wrong". Fortune.
- ^ Roush, Chris (2019-04-18). "The Information's Lessin: We want to spend as much as WSJ, NYTimes on journalism". Talking Biz News. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ Barber, Kayleigh (19 February 2020). "The Information is testing a subscription bundle with Bloomberg Media". Digiday.
- ^ a b Fischer, Sara (2022-07-12). "Exclusive: The Information launching social network for subscribers". Axios. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ a b Madeline Berg (December 5, 2016). "For Your Information: Subscriber-Only News Site The Information Capitalizes On Exclusives And Exclusivity". Forbes.
- ^ Laura Hazard Owen (October 26, 2016). "The Information's Jessica Lessin on how she's scaling an already-expensive subscription product". Nieman Lab.
- ^ a b Benjamin Mullin (October 26, 2016). "The Information's Jessica Lessin on building her business, putting subscribers first and the future of media". Poynter.
- ^ Laura Hazard Owen (February 2, 2016). "The Information is offering members a perk: an exclusive trip to "meet the right people" in China". Nieman Lab.
- ^ Laura Hazard Owen (April 25, 2017). "The Information's new Briefing is a continuous update of opinionated takes on other people's articles". Nieman Lab.
- ^ Benjamin Millin (April 25, 2017). "With Briefing, The Information muscles in on news aggregators like Techmeme". Poynter.
- ^ Lee, Edmund (7 February 2020). "Maybe Information Actually Doesn't Want to Be Free". New York Times.
- ^ Fischer, Sara (2022-07-12). "Exclusive: The Information launching social network for subscribers". Axios. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
 | This United States media company article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |