The Intercept

What The Intercept does

The Intercept is an independent, nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 2014 and operating as a 501(c)(3) since 2023, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. It publishes original reporting on government accountability, civil liberties, war, criminal justice, corporate malfeasance, and technology, distributed through a free, no-paywall website (theintercept.com), an email and SMS newsletter, and a flagship podcast (The Intercept Briefing) carried on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The organization also operates SecureDrop for anonymous whistleblower submissions and the Press Freedom Defense Fund as an advocacy initiative, with an editorial leadership team led by Editor-in-Chief Ben Muessig and Managing Editor Maia Hibbett alongside multiple staff writers.

The underlying technology stack is a digital publishing platform rather than a software product, augmented by third-party integrations: Salesforce for donor data management, ActionKit for donation-page infrastructure, and SecureDrop for source intake. The Intercept was co-founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras, and Cecília Oliveira and was hosted by First Look Institute from 2014 until spinning out as an independent nonprofit in 2023.

Revenue is generated entirely through reader donations and memberships rather than advertising or paid subscriptions. The pricing model is voluntary contribution with suggested tiers of $5, $8, $10, $15, $25, $50, and $100, available as one-time or recurring monthly gifts, with donations over $5,000 publicly disclosed on IRS 990 forms. Foundation and institutional grants provide a secondary funding stream, and a firewall in the Salesforce contract limits third-party data disclosure of donor information. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and community-led, relying on newsletter subscriptions, podcast listenership, and social channels (X, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn) to drive donation conversion.

Name

The Intercept

Legal name

The Intercept Media Inc.

Website

https://theintercept.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Intercept is an independent, reader-supported nonprofit newsroom founded in 2014 that publishes investigative journalism on government, civil liberties, and corporate accountability via its website, newsletters, and the Intercept Briefing podcast for a general audience of news readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Investigative Journalism

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJADAF

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/News Publishing (Newspapers, Digital Newsrooms, Wire Services)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Nonprofit news
• Digital news publication
• Accountability reporting
• Online news media

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Memberships: The Intercept operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through individual reader donations and memberships. The publication offers one-time and recurring monthly donation options at various price points ($5-$100). No corporate advertising revenue.
2. Foundation and Institutional Support: The Intercept accepts funding from foundations, organizations, and institutional partners. All donors giving $5,000 or more are publicly disclosed on IRS 990 forms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Intercept is an independent nonprofit investigative news organization that publishes original journalism on politics, war, government accountability, civil liberties, criminal justice, technology, and corporate malfeasance. All content is provided free to readers with no paywall, funded primarily through reader donations and memberships. The publication operates a main news website, a flagship podcast (The Intercept Briefing), email and SMS newsletters, and a SecureDrop whistleblower tip submission platform.

Product overview

The Intercept operates as a single unified nonprofit news organization offering investigative journalism content primarily through its main website publication, supplemented by a flagship podcast (The Intercept Briefing), email and SMS newsletters, and a secure whistleblower submission platform (SecureDrop). The organization also maintains a Press Freedom Defense Fund and operates a reader-supported membership/donation program as its primary revenue model. The publication focuses on investigative reporting across topics including politics, justice, war, civil liberties, and government accountability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Intercept Briefing: The Intercept's podcast featuring interviews and analysis on current events and investigative journalism.

Products and services

• The Intercept (Main News Publication) Independent nonprofit investigative journalism publication covering politics, justice, war, civil liberties, technology, criminal justice, and government accountability. Free access for all readers with no paywall.
• The Intercept Briefing (Podcast)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Freedom of the Press FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Intercept partnered with Freedom of the Press Foundation on investigative reporting projects, including coverage of press freedom issues and government transparency.
• National Writers UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Intercept collaborated with the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project to establish principles for equitable relationships with freelance contributors, covering payment terms, intellectual property rights, and working conditions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Markup: The Markup is a nonprofit newsroom focused on technology and its impact on society. Comparable nonprofit investigative model and reader-supported funding, with overlapping technology accountability coverage with The Intercept.
• Type Investigations: Type Investigations (formerly The Investigative Fund) is a nonprofit investigative reporting incubator. Comparable nonprofit investigative journalism infrastructure and donor-supported model, though smaller in scale than The Intercept.

Broad incumbents

• NPR: NPR is a large nonprofit news organization with extensive investigative journalism across politics, civil liberties, and government. Comparable nonprofit structure and donor/membership-supported model at much greater scale.
• The Guardian (U.S.): The Guardian U.S. is a major news outlet with significant investigative reporting and a reader-supported funding model. Broader newsroom with overlapping accountability coverage and similar reliance on reader donations.

Direct peers

• Center for Public Integrity: Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit investigative news organization focused on government accountability and corruption. Closely comparable donor-funded nonprofit investigative news model.
• ProPublica: ProPublica is the leading U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, funded by donations and foundations with no paywall. Directly comparable to The Intercept in mission, funding model, and investigative scope.
• The Marshall Project: The Marshall Project is a nonprofit newsroom covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Comparable nonprofit investigative model, donor-funded structure, and focus on accountability journalism similar to The Intercept's criminal justice beat.
• Mother Jones: Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative magazine focused on government accountability, politics, and social justice. Comparable donor-supported nonprofit news model and similar editorial positioning to The Intercept.

Others

• Freedom of the Press Foundation: Freedom of the Press Foundation is a nonprofit supporting press freedom and secure communications for journalists. Adjacent to The Intercept's mission; The Intercept has a documented partnership with this organization on press freedom reporting.
• First Look Institute: First Look Institute is the former fiscal sponsor of The Intercept and a nonprofit media organization supporting investigative journalism. Historically and structurally linked to The Intercept's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theintercept
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-intercept
• Facebookfacebook.com/theinterceptflm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Intercept