Storybench

What Storybench does

Storybench is a digital editorial publication operated by Northeastern University's School of Journalism, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It publishes tutorials, behind-the-scenes interviews, round-ups, and project showcases focused on data journalism, digital storytelling, visualization, and media innovation. The platform covers a broad range of technical tools used by journalists, including R, D3.js, JavaScript, Python, Twine, Datawrapper, and Mapbox, and regularly profiles work from major news organizations such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, ProPublica, Reuters, and BBC. Editorial categories include Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Round-ups, and Projects such as 'Reinventing Local TV News' and 'Data Journalism in R'. The publication is operated by students, faculty, and contributors affiliated with Northeastern University.

The underlying technology is a WordPress-based content platform (storybench.org) that distributes freely accessible editorial content with no paywall or registration. Distribution is community-led, leveraging the website, an email newsletter, and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest), supplemented by coverage of industry conferences such as NICAR. The publication's primary audiences are data journalists, journalism students, newsroom managers, and media technology professionals.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial: Storybench is funded by Northeastern University's School of Journalism as part of its educational mission, and it functions simultaneously as a teaching and outreach tool and as a recruitment channel for the university's Master of Science in Media Innovation & Data Communication program. There are no paid products, no subscription fees, no advertising, and no disclosed revenue. The eponymous contact directs to a Northeastern email address ([email protected]), confirming the publication is operated as an academic unit rather than a for-profit entity.

Name

Storybench

Legal name

Storybench

Website

https://storybench.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Storybench is a free digital publication operated by Northeastern University's School of Journalism, publishing tutorials, interviews, and case studies on data journalism and digital storytelling for journalists, journalism students, and newsroom professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Journalism Education

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Microlearning Content Libraries (Bite-Sized Lessons) (EDAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Design & Storyboarding Platforms (EDAFAHAB)

Keywords

• Data journalism tutorials
• Digital storytelling education
• Data visualization guides
• Media innovation content
• Journalism training resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: Storybench is funded by Northeastern University's School of Journalism as part of its educational mission. The publication serves as a teaching and outreach tool for the journalism program while also promoting graduate program enrollment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Storybench is a free digital publication operated by Northeastern University's School of Journalism that publishes tutorials, behind-the-scenes interviews, round-ups, and project showcases covering data journalism, digital storytelling, and media innovation. It covers tools and techniques including R, D3.js, Python, Twine, Datawrapper, and Mapbox, and features case studies from major news organizations. The publication serves as an educational outreach resource supporting the university's journalism programs.

Product overview

Storybench is a single unified digital publication operated by Northeastern University's School of Journalism. It covers data journalism, digital storytelling, and media innovation through articles, tutorials, interviews, and project showcases. The publication organizes content across several editorial categories including Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Round-ups, and Projects such as Reinventing Local TV News and Data Journalism in R.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Storybench Digital Publication A free digital publication by Northeastern University's School of Journalism that publishes tutorials, behind-the-scenes interviews, round-ups, and project showcases covering data journalism, digital storytelling, and media innovation. Content is organized into categories including Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Round-ups, and Projects such as Reinventing Local TV News and Data Journalism in R.

Quantifiable outcome

• Covers tools from over 35 major news organizations including The Washington Post, New York Times, Reuters, ProPublica, and BBC
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Northeastern University School of JournalismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStorybench is an official publication of Northeastern University's School of Journalism. The publication serves as an educational resource and recruitment tool for the university's journalism programs, including the Master of Science in Media Innovation & Data Communication program. The relationship is integral to Storybench's mission and operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Open Notebook: The Open Notebook is a free, nonprofit-supported publication offering craft-focused tutorials, behind-the-scenes interviews, and case studies for journalists - a near-identical editorial model to Storybench. Both serve as community educational resources for working journalists and journalism students without paywalls.
• Nieman Lab: Nieman Lab is Harvard's Nieman Foundation publication covering journalism innovation and the future of media. Like Storybench, it is university-affiliated, publishes free editorial coverage of journalism trends and tools, and serves as an authoritative resource for the journalism community.
• Online Journalism Blog: Online Journalism Blog is a long-running independent blog covering digital journalism tools, techniques, and case studies - directly comparable to Storybench's tutorial format and target audience of working journalists and journalism students.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): IRE is a nonprofit membership organization providing training, conferences, and resources for investigative journalists, with strong overlap with data and investigative journalism. It shares Storybench's professional-education focus and NICAR-related community.
• Nieman Reports: Nieman Reports is Harvard's long-running journalism publication covering craft, innovation, and behind-the-scenes reporting - structurally similar to Storybench as a university-affiliated free publication serving the journalism community with editorial features and case studies.
• Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN): GIJN is a global nonprofit network that publishes tutorials, case studies, and resource guides for investigative and data journalists worldwide. It directly mirrors Storybench's community-led, tutorial-driven editorial format while also offering conferences and training programs.

Broad incumbents

• Mediabistro: Mediabistro provides journalism training courses, job listings, and editorial content for media professionals. It overlaps with Storybench's professional-development and journalism-tools focus but operates as a broader, for-profit training platform rather than a free editorial publication.
• Poynter Institute: Poynter is a leading nonprofit journalism education organization offering courses, training, and editorial coverage of media-industry issues. It is a much larger incumbent that overlaps with Storybench in journalism skill-building and ethics/innovation coverage but with a broader curriculum portfolio.
• Columbia Journalism Review: CJR is Columbia Journalism School's industry publication covering media industry trends, newsroom practices, and journalism innovation. It shares Storybench's university-affiliated publishing model and focus on journalism-industry analysis, though it operates at much greater scale.
• Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: The Reuters Institute at Oxford is a major university-affiliated research and education center publishing reports, datasets, and editorial coverage on journalism trends. It shares Storybench's university-backed, education-oriented editorial model but operates at far greater scale and global reach.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/storybench

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Storybench