Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism

What Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism does

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is an independent, donor-funded non-profit media organisation headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, that produces evidence-based, solutions-focused health journalism for an African and global audience. Founded in January 2013 as the Mail & Guardian's health desk by then-M&G editor Nic Dawes and journalist Mia Malan (a former Knight International Journalism Fellow), Bhekisisa registered as a South African non-profit in March 2015 and became fully independent in July 2019. The organisation currently employs approximately 20 full and part-time staff, and serves a primary audience of healthcare workers, policymakers, academics and activists, with a secondary audience of the general South African public.

Its core products are editorial rather than technological: long-form and short-form feature articles, news and analysis, opinion and profiles on its own website (bhekisisa.org); the monthly Health Beat TV show aired on eNCA and distributed on YouTube; a narrative podcast series covering HIV, mental health, climate change and health policy; and personalised newsletters produced two to three times per week. There is no proprietary technology platform — the moat sits in the editorial product. All content is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence and is freely syndicated to eight major South African publications (News24, Daily Maverick, Mail & Guardian, Financial Mail, TimesLIVE, Sowetan, SABC News and DispatchLIVE), with the Bhekisisa team also producing a public COVID data dashboard, a national femicide map and ongoing HIV prevention data tracking in partnership with data-journalism organisation MediaHack.

Revenue is generated through a diversified philanthropic model. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been the primary donor since September 2015, supplemented by Millennium Trust and Wellcome Trust, with additional historical support from Open Society Foundations, GIZ, Hivos, Global Health Strategies, the National Research Foundation, the International Centre for Journalists/Facebook Journalism Project, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, the United Nations Population Fund and Community Media Trust. Secondary revenue streams include newsletter advertising and sponsored social posts, fees for media training and event moderation services, and individual donations collected via GiveGain; specific pricing and contract values are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism

Legal name

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism

Website

https://bhekisisa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is an independent, donor-funded non-profit media organisation based in Johannesburg, South Africa, producing evidence-based solutions-focused health journalism syndicated free to major South African publications and targeting healthcare workers, policymakers, academics and activists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Journalism and Digital Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines (MPAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Health journalism
• Solutions journalism
• Nonprofit media
• Evidence-based reporting
• Media training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: The majority of Bhekisisa's funding comes from philanthropic organisations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (main donor since September 2015), Millennium Trust, Wellcome Trust, and various other foundations. Donor contracts include clauses guaranteeing zero editorial interference.
2. Advertising Revenue: Newsletter advertising, sponsored social media posts, and advertising in increasingly popular personalised newsletters produced 2-3 times per week. Subscription rate for newsletters doubled over the past year.
3. Events and Training Services: Revenue generated through hosting and moderating public discussion forums, webinars, media training for healthcare workers, academics, activists and policymakers, and event moderation services.
4. Individual Donations: The organisation accepts donations from individuals through GiveGain platform to support deeply-researched, public interest journalism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is an independent non-profit media organisation that produces evidence-based, solutions-focused health journalism for South African and African audiences. It publishes articles, features, news and analysis, opinion pieces, profiles, special reports, podcasts and the monthly Health Beat TV show, and distributes this content free of charge under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence to eight major South African news publications and broadcaster eNCA. It also offers media training courses for journalists and civil society, public discussion forums, webinars and event moderation services for external organisations.

Product overview

Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is an independent media organization offering a suite of health journalism products and services. The core offerings include health news articles (features, news and analysis, opinion pieces, and profiles), the Health Beat TV show, podcasts, and newsletters. Additional services include public discussion forums, media training programs, and webinars. The organization operates on a solutions journalism approach, producing content distributed through mainstream news publications and its own digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Health Beat: A monthly TV show produced by Bhekisisa, published on their website and YouTube channel, and aired on eNCA.

Products and services

• Bhekisisa Health News Articles and Features Narrative and evidence-based health journalism articles, features (long form and short form), news and analysis, opinion pieces, profiles and special reports focused on health and social justice issues across Africa. Distributed free to publishers and to general readers via bhekisisa.org.
• Health Beat TV Show A monthly television show produced by Bhekisisa covering complex health issues; published on bhekisisa.org, Bhekisisa's YouTube channel and eNCA's YouTube channel and aired on eNCA.
• Bhekisisa Podcasts
• Bhekisisa Newsletter
• Health Beat Shorts
• Public Discussion Forums
• Media Trainings
• Webinars

Quantifiable outcome

• 35-fold growth in online readership for health stories (2013-2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mail & GuardiancoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBhekisisa started as the Mail & Guardian's health desk in 2013. After becoming independent in July 2019, continues to provide content to M&G for free. M&G's deputy editor cited Bhekisisa as a trusted source contributing to South Africa's democracy.
• News24coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor South African news publication that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• Daily MaverickcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor South African news publication that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• Financial MailcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStarted partnership during COVID pandemic three years ago. Relationship has gone from strength to strength. Editor-in-chief Rob Rose and feature's editor Shirley De Villiers explain why they keep Bhekisisa on their pages.
• TimesLIVEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor South African news publication that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• SowetanLIVEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor South African news publication that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• SABC NewscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor South African broadcaster that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• DispatchLIVEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSouth African news publication that distributes Bhekisisa content for free as part of syndication partnership.
• eNCAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirtime partner for Health Beat TV show. Bhekisisa produces the monthly Health Beat show which is aired on eNCA and posted on eNCA's YouTube channel.
• MediaHackminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfluential data journalism organisation. During COVID pandemic started a data dashboard together, which became South Africa's main news source for easy-to-understand COVID numbers. Since also co-produced a map of femicide in South Africa and tracks HIV prevention data together.
• YouTubecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform for Health Beat TV show and podcast distribution. Content published on Bhekisisa's YouTube channel and eNCA's YouTube channel.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mail & Guardian: South African weekly newspaper where Bhekisisa originated as the health desk before independence. Comparable in editorial credibility, audience profile, and South African political/health coverage focus.
• Daily Maverick: Major South African digital news outlet that syndicates Bhekisisa content. Comparable in audience and editorial reach; differs in being a broader general-news platform with subscription/reader-revenue model rather than a health-focused nonprofit.
• Health-e News: South African nonprofit health journalism outlet covering HIV, TB, and public health issues. Directly comparable as a donor-funded, solutions-focused health journalism organization targeting similar policy-influencing audiences.
• Spotlight: African health journalism platform (originated in South Africa, now pan-African) covering HIV, TB, and access to medicines. Directly comparable as a nonprofit, evidence-based health newsroom serving policy-engaged readers in Southern Africa.

Broad incumbents

• De Correspondent: Dutch pioneering member-funded, solutions-focused news organization. Comparable as a model for nonprofit, reader-supported journalism emphasizing depth over speed, though serving a different geographic market.
• The Guardian Africa: Major UK-based news outlet with significant Africa coverage including health. Comparable as a publication that has republished Bhekisisa content, though not specialized in African health journalism.

Emerging players

• The Continent: Pan-African weekly news magazine distributed digitally and in print, focused on African news and analysis. Comparable as a pan-African nonprofit/reader-supported news outlet targeting engaged African readers.
• Africa Check: Nonprofit fact-checking organization operating across Africa, focused on verifying public claims including health misinformation. Comparable as a donor-funded, evidence-based journalism nonprofit with policy influence mission.

Others

• International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): Global nonprofit supporting journalism worldwide, including through grants (Bhekisisa received ICFJ/Facebook Journalism Project support). Comparable as a journalism-support ecosystem enabler and funder.
• Code for Africa: Pan-African civic technology and data journalism organization. Comparable as an ecosystem partner (Bhekisisa co-produced data dashboards with MediaHack, a Code for Africa initiative) and as a donor-funded African journalism infrastructure provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bhekisisa_MG
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKrk3JHCsus6ZNcYPy6d9lQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bhekisisa.Health
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bhekisisa-centre-for-health-journalism
• Instagraminstagram.com/bhekisisa.health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism