The power of independent journalism: from her Brooklyn apartment, she “dug” the media of the nation

First word of the Trump administration since dissected In order to freeze expenses On loans and federal subsidies did not come from a large press organization, but from a woman working alone in her Brooklyn apartment.

The Marisa Kabas scoop last week was a key moment for a growing framework of journalists who work independently to bring together and analyze the news and market as brands. Many are refugees from the inherited points of sale while others are new arrivals like Kabas, who have found non -attractive or out of reach traditional career paths.

“This week has changed his career,” Kabas said in an interview. “In a sense, my work has changed overnight.”

She was sitting at her kitchen table last Monday, going through emails on her laptop, when a source sent her a copy of a note announcing the freeze sent by the Director of Management and Budget. Kabas has its own website, hand basketballBut to give more visibility to history, she published a screenshot of the note on the Bluesky social media site.

Then she waited.

His stomach was in knots. She calmed down with a walk at an icy night. Despite her belief in independent journalism – and her own work – she recognized that for many, the news only becomes “real” when she appears in a major outlet. Three hours later, the Washington Post published its story, with a hat point in Kabas.

The directive caused such a tumult that the administration redirected His order two days later.

Kick in jobs until she finds her call

Kabas, 37, launched in various Journalism and Publicist and independent jobs for points of sale such as MSNBC.com, the Huffington Post and New Republic. She started her website in 2022 mainly for personal writing and decided to go “All in” with journalism the following year.

The advantage of having a rider alone is that “I can write about things that are close to my heart,” she said. “I don’t have to work on assignments that are given to me that don’t care.” The drawback is that it is all alone, depending on its own agitation.

Kabas wrote on the former Congressman George SantosTHE Raid on a weekly newspaper in Kansas And Elon Musk, although a large part of his writing is tests instead of working.

Like many in the world of independent journalism, she does not hide her opinions. She wrote that the MEMB memo was “a truly disturbed document that seems to have been written by the smallest poster in the world.”

“She has an attitude, she has personality,” said Greg Munno, professor of journalism at the University of Syracuse. “I think that attitude and personality help these independent journalists to connect with readers and potentially sources.”

Independent journalists make their mark in a variety of subjects

A wide variety of independent journalists have made their mark, often working on publication platforms such as substack and beehiiv.

Seamus Hughes’ Court surveillance brings together interesting legal documents from all over the country. Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American explores the intersection of history and politics today. Peter Geoghegan’s Democracy for sale Investigation of money in politics.

Casey Newton, former editor -in -chief of The Verge, looks at the world of technology PlatformAnd last week urged people worried about the society of IA Deepseek to take “some long deep breaths”. Molly Knight’s The long game Intelligently written on sports and even admits to his Clunkers, as recently revisiting his prediction that the Texas Rangers would repeat as champions of the American League.

Oliver Darcy left CNN to announce news and offer comments on the media on his own site, Status. Two former Washington Post journalists have created their own stores: the Opinion editor Jennifer Rubin, The annoyinghas the slogan “having no one” and the technological writer Taylor Lorenz User Magazine announced his own news last week on the new business of the conservative influencer Candace Owens.

A few days ago, the anchor of CNN Jim Acosta announced that he was settling in Subk after Leave the network Rather than accepting a transfer to a mid -night slot.

“Independent journalism is now the way to follow,” said Dan rather, the former presenter of CBS News and perhaps the former former journalist par excellence, published Thursday on Facebook. “Unfortunately, we can no longer count on the inherited media to hold the powerful responsible.”

Expand the definition of independent journalist more broadly, and you can include the explosive world of podcasts, many of which have played A key role in the presidential electionAnd the influencers of Tiktok or Youtube who comment on the news.

The more traditional media shrink or die, “something will fill this gap,” said Jeremy Littau, professor of journalism at the University of Lehigh. “There will be a need.”

How much is there for journalists and who can you trust?

It is exciting for those who seek variety and new voices, in particular with the media inherited in the esteem of the public. The danger has just known who to trust a world where only one person often plays the role of journalist, editor, seller and business manager.

This is particularly important with the latest news, said Littau. Who is there, cutting the corners or reconditioning the things they see online without the standards that a traditional press organization imposes?

Munno is skeptical about the quantity of support there is on the market.

“I do not think that consumer’s appetite for news is high enough to support a very deep independent journalists basin which would be able to create an audience and earn a living,” he said.

Kabas tinkered with what she considered as a typical living journalist – Translation: Modeste – Before last week. Its profits via hand basketball go through subscribers who pay $ 8 per month or $ 80 per year. This week alone, it went from 800 subscribers paid to around 1,500.

His scoop makes him rethink the purpose of his work, that now the urgent need is to deeply report the way the country changes following its new government. She even thinks of hiring another journalist to help.

“I spent taking my time, sitting with my thoughts and writing a personal perspective to a Breaking News journalist,” said Kabas. “These are very different skills.”

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David Bauder writes on the intersection of the media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him to http://x.com/dbauder And https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.