Youtube and Facebook are wiping out the indie media. We're going to Dtube/Steemit

In 2014, I co-founded a company called News2Share with a fellow then-student at American University. Since then, dozens of contributors have come and gone, and News2Share has built a bit of a following within the indie media movement.

The premise was simple: The mainstream media sells you opinion. A two hour activist event could be boiled down into 15 seconds of b-roll followed by a couple talking heads telling you what to think about the situation. We wanted to offer something different, yet simple.

At News2Share, we began covering stories in a raw footage format. No commentary. No spin. Very limited use of our own reporters on the camera. You could watch our content on Facebook or Youtube.

With the advent of livestream, this moved to a new level, where our audience could watch an entire event in real time. Think we deceptively edited the piece? Check out the livestream. Watch everything we filmed, then tell us if you feel the same.

For example, when we filmed the fighting in Charlottesville, my audience saw the entire 10 or so hours I streamed, in addition to raw footage compilations after the fact. When I watched CNN the night three people died in the violence, I felt like I was seeing a completely different city. Two talking heads and about two minutes of fighting footage on repeat. That isn't journalism.

It was the streamers, photographers, and independent voices that really told the world what happened from the ground.

I can't say this was ever going to make us rich, but Facebook's live ad program and Youtube monetization (as well as some modest licensing fees) kept the business running. Personally, I continue to do freelance video projects to support myself while running News2Share.

Toward the end of 2017, that all changed. Youtube began demonetizing our work, even things not remotely related to violence. Facebook cancelled our inclusion in the livestream ad program. 

Undeterred, we began pushing a Patreon, which we still love and use to this day. Our audience could fund us directly, while we continue to provide the content they know and love.

Nonetheless, mainstream outlets like Facebook and Youtube persisted. Facebook's recent newsfeed algorithm change has left our recent work with far fewer viewers than before. Youtube has been knocking our down bit by bit. While we will continue to share our work with our more than 30,000 Facebook followers and 10,000 Youtube subscribers, it's time for something new.

Enter Dtube. Censorship free. Decentralized. Independent. 

I think this is exactly what we need. Starting now, we'll be posting our new, raw content onto Dtube. We hope that Dtube's audiences feel refreshed by raw, HD content the mainstream media won't show them. We also hope to bring new audiences to the platform. 

We'll also be archiving our old content here. With over 700 stories on Youtube, many remain relevant today, and honestly, I am not convinced Youtube won't kill the channel altogether.

Not only do I trust Steemit not to censor, but also I can see the blockchain design makes it impossible. 

Thank You,

Ford Fischer