The Correspondent
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
The Correspondent firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Correspondent
- Legal name
- The Correspondent
- Website
- https://thecorrespondent.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Correspondent industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online News & Journalism
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH), Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA)
Keywords
Where The Correspondent is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Correspondent business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Member-funded subscriptions: The Correspondent operated as a member-funded platform where readers pay what they want to become members, funding ad-free, independent journalism. No advertising revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Pay-what-you-want membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The Correspondent product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Correspondent operated an online, member-funded journalism platform that published ad-free articles, newsletters, audio, and video content produced by specialist correspondents covering thematic beats such as climate, politics, mental health, numeracy, and othering. The platform charged members a recurring pay-what-you-want monthly contribution to fund independent, constructive reporting, and ceased publishing on January 1, 2021.
Product overview
The Correspondent was a member-funded, online journalism platform that offered a single unified product for ad-free, independent journalism. The platform provided article-based content produced by specialized correspondents covering beats such as climate, politics, mental health, and numeracy. The product portfolio included the main journalism platform with article publishing, correspondent profiles, topic-based Collections, audio/podcast content through Listen, video content, and email newsletters. The platform also maintained a relationship with its Dutch sister platform De Correspondent. The Correspondent discontinued publishing on January 1, 2021.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Correspondent (Member-Funded Journalism Platform) Online, member-funded journalism platform offering ad-free articles, newsletters, audio, and video content produced by specialist correspondents covering climate, politics, mental health, numeracy, and othering, accessed via monthly pay-what-you-want membership. The platform discontinued publishing on January 1, 2021.
Quantifiable outcome
- 33+ climate-focused stories published; platform reached global English-speaking audience before discontinuation in 2021
Companies that use The Correspondent
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Correspondent technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Correspondent partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Correspondent competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- De Correspondent: Dutch-language sister platform of The Correspondent, founded and operated by the same team (Rob Wijnberg, Ernst-Jan Pfauth). Identical member-funded, ad-free, constructive-journalism model; the direct parent and most comparable entity.
- The Markup: Nonprofit digital newsroom covering technology's impact on society, funded by donations and foundations. Comparable as a reader-funded digital-first outlet pursuing a thematic editorial mission rather than general-interest news.
- The Intercept: Ad-free, donor-funded investigative digital news outlet. Same model dimension (no advertising, reader-supported) and overlapping audience of readers seeking independent, ad-free journalism — though focused on national security and civil liberties rather than constructive solutions coverage.
- ProPublica: Nonprofit, member-supported investigative news organization. Closely comparable in mission (independent, ad-light journalism) and in funding model (reader donations), though it focuses on investigative output rather than thematic beat correspondents.
Broad incumbents
- Medium: Digital publishing platform with a membership-based business model (Medium Membership) that hosts long-form, ad-free writing. Comparable as a distribution and monetization layer for the kind of constructive, long-form writing The Correspondent produced.
- The Guardian: Large English-language digital news outlet with a reader-funded model (memberships, contributions) and a strong climate and opinion-vertical coverage. Competes for the same ad-free, mission-driven reader, but at vastly greater scale and brand reach.
- The New York Times: The dominant English-language subscription digital news outlet, including a high-profile climate desk. The Correspondent's climate beat (Holthaus) and broader constructive-journalism positioning competed for a share of the same paying reader audience.
Emerging players
- Substack: Subscription newsletter publishing platform used by many of The Correspondent's former correspondents post-shutdown. Comparable as a destination for the same writer-reader ecosystem; not a newsroom itself but a structural alternative for member-funded independent journalism.
Others
- Memberful: Membership and subscription infrastructure provider used by independent publishers and creator-led outlets. Relevant as the kind of tooling The Correspondent relied on to operate a pay-what-you-want membership model without building membership software from scratch.
Regional players
- De Volkskrant: Major Dutch national newspaper that operates in the same Dutch media market as De Correspondent and shared some of the same readership and topic coverage (climate, politics, society). Relevant as a regional incumbent that the Dutch parent platform competed against.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Correspondent social profiles
Digital presenceThe Correspondent financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Correspondent leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Correspondent funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Correspondent M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Correspondent
What does The Correspondent do?
The Correspondent operated an online, member-funded journalism platform that published ad-free articles, newsletters, audio, and video content produced by specialist correspondents covering thematic beats such as climate, politics, mental health, numeracy, and othering. The platform charged members a recurring pay-what-you-want monthly contribution to fund independent, constructive reporting, and ceased publishing on January 1, 2021.
Is The Correspondent a public or private company?
The Correspondent is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was The Correspondent founded?
The Correspondent was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Correspondent based?
The Correspondent is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Correspondent make money?
One revenue line is on record: member-funded subscriptions.
Who are The Correspondent's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are De Correspondent, The Markup, The Intercept and ProPublica. Broad incumbents are Medium, The Guardian and The New York Times. Substack is listed as an emerging player. Memberful is listed as an others. De Volkskrant is listed as a regional player.
Does The Correspondent have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Correspondent.
What industry is The Correspondent in?
The Correspondent's product category is Online News & Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations, with a secondary code of MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.