Today we’re excited to announce that The Bold Italic has been acquired by Medium. Here’s a note from our editor in chief, Clara Hogan, on what this means for our publication.
The first English newspaper ever to be published in California (aptly named the Californian) was a one-sheet publication printed on cigarette paper in 1846 out of Monterey. It was the Wild West, and they did what they had to do, apparently. On its first day in circulation — in what one may call a very smart marketing move — it reported the United States’ proclamation of war with Mexico. Sadly, only two years later, the entire staff left for the gold fields.
In the meantime, the California Star had popped up in San Francisco, unfond of its southern rival. “We have received two late numbers of the Californian, a dim, dirty little paper printed at Monterey,” its editors wrote. “It is published and edited by Walter Colton and Robert Semple, the one a lying sycophant and the other an overgrown lickspittle.”
Dang. And we thought the news business was cutthroat these days. (Side note — new 2019 resolution: attempt to use the term “lickspittle.”)
In all seriousness, the point of this history lesson, if you haven’t already guessed, is that journalism has evolved (a lot). Even if that’s obvious, it’s worth remembering at a time that’s weird and depressing for local news at large—a time that’s brought drastic cuts and closures across the country. And the Bay Area hasn’t been shielded: The Oakland Tribune is no more; SFist disappeared from the internet abruptly (though it appears to be coming back in some AI-powered form); and just recently, the East Bay Express announced that it laid off nearly its entire editorial staff.
It’s been an ever-evolving experiment, and today TBI is marking our next chapter — under the ownership of Medium.
We’re lucky that we still have a few local papers. The San Francisco Chronicle and the East Bay Times are fighting the good fight and doing the hard work to keep us informed, adapting from old models. If anything is clear to everyone in media, it’s that those old models of the past will no longer suffice. We need to be making bold moves — to be taking uncomfortable risks.
That’s what The Bold Italic has done since it launched in 2009—working to rethink how we can tell stories about our communities from within our communities. It’s been an ever-evolving experiment, and today we’re marking TBI’s next chapter under the ownership of Medium.
By acquiring TBI, Medium is making an investment in the future of local journalism, willing to take a chance on our publication, because the company’s leaders believe in our ability to create meaningful content that the Bay Area can’t find elsewhere.
Medium is a natural partner for us. Not only have we already been operating on the platform for several years, but we’re also both intrinsically committed to innovation and risk taking when it comes to journalism. We’re excited to now have greater resources to produce even better content and, most importantly, pay our contributors — old and new — significantly more.
Medium is probably best known for being an open blogging platform, but it’s also grown into a content powerhouse. Through Medium Membership, subscribers get access to original content that Medium editors commission as well as member-exclusive stories from thousands of writers publishing via the Medium Partner Program.
Our goal is simple: to bring you really good stories that give insight into life in the Bay Area.
Our stories will now fall under Medium’s membership program, meaning that you’ll be able to read three of our pieces for free each month, and for $5/month, you’ll get access to all of TBI’s stories in addition to all of Medium’s content. We’re entering a time in which we’re all going to need to pay for our content to keep journalism alive — and Medium offers you a (very) affordable way to read some of the best writing on the web.
In the past decade, TBI has changed hands and models, but our commitment has always been to tell unique and compelling stories that embrace San Francisco’s freewheeling spirit. As editor in chief, I’ve strived to create a publication that Bay Area residents (including natives or those new to town) can turn to for fresh and unexpected articles that they can relate to—that make them laugh or that make them think about something in a different way. That remains unchanged.
So what can you expect from TBI moving forward with Medium? Here’s what we can promise:
- Personal essays and informed opinions from a diverse range of people. We’ve always featured takes from locals that give a unique perspective and chronicle life in the Bay Area; we’ll continue to do so. We will actively seek out voices underrepresented in traditional news media.
- Actionable journalism. We’ll provide stories that make you better informed about your community and help you make decisions. We won’t cover breaking news — instead, we’ll take a step back to evaluate issues and culture from a bird’s-eye view.
- Articles you won’t find elsewhere. We’re all deluged with information on a daily basis. We won’t run what you see in other outlets — we will bring something new to the table.
- Engagement from our editors and writers. We’ll listen to your feedback and work to not operate in a bubble.
Our goal is simple: to bring you really good stories that give insight into life in the Bay Area. We certainly won’t fix local journalism, but we’ll do our part to keep pushing the boundaries of the industry and try something new.
Over the next few months, we’ll be looking to build on our fantastic pool of freelance writers and other new voices to bring you even better content. Stay tuned for more on the contributor front soon. In the meantime, if you have a unique story to share, feel free to send us a note at info@thebolditalic.com.
TBI has built up a quirky and solid community over the years. Whether you’re someone who has stuck with the publication or are just now finding out about us, I hope you’ll follow, join, read, and give us your feedback along the way.
In the meantime, we promise to neither be a sycophant — nor a lickspittle (2019 resolution achieved).
—Clara Hogan, Editor in Chief, The Bold Italic
Get in touch: clara@thebolditalic.com
