Welcome to OptOut, a forthcoming nonprofit news app where you can completely bypass the corporate media and read, listen to, and watch exclusively independent content.
To those who subscribed to this newsletter via the OptOut launch page, thank you for your interest in our project! If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do; you can stay up-to-date on developments, help us build the app by participating in user surveys, and be first in line to access our free beta app.
With a growing network of over 40 news sites, podcasts, and video channels—including Jacobin, Sludge, Means TV, Africa Is a Country, Reply Guys, and Struggle Session—we’re convinced we can bring you a more honest, insightful, and enjoyable news experience than the allegedly unbiased corporate media or the utter chaos of social media.
Where we’re at with OptOut
- We are working with a volunteer team of developers and UX designers at the Progressive Coders Network, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that builds open-source tools to empower the grass roots. Currently, we’re working on a detailed wireframe of the app so the devs can get cracking.
- We are in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- We are accepting applications for media partnerships! This includes not only news outlets, podcasts, and video channels but individual content producers as well. If you’re interested, email us at applications@optoutnews.org.
- OptOut will also feature original content from our news outlet, OptOut News. Our first original publication is Gilded Age, a podcast about how and why we’re f*cked. (Just kidding, everything’s fine.)
Who are we?
OptOut is founded by two friends: Alex Kotch, an investigative reporter, composer, and PhD, and Walker Bragman, a journalist and JD. After following each other on Twitter for some time, we met in 2019 in our shared borough of Brooklyn. During our many conversations about media and politics during the early months of the coronavirus lockdown, we realized that in addition to writing for independent outlets, we wanted to do something to boost the delivery of that non-corporate media.
We have a great team of advisers and a diverse network of media partners—find out more about them here.
Where you come in
So far, OptOut has been an entirely volunteer project. However, we’ll soon have major expenses like web hosting and marketing, and in the longer term, we’ll need a paid staff to run this thing! We plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign this fall, but you can help us begin to raise money by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter.
Stay tuned for a user survey coming your way! We want to include you in our development process so we can create an app that reflects your interests.
Until then, please spread the word about OptOut! With your help, we’re gonna say goodbye to the corporate media.
