Environmental news site Grist adds humour to reader donations campaign

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US environmental news website Grist has created a tongue-in-cheek campaign to encourage donations to help support its journalists. The non-profit website's 'Save the Endangered Journalists' campaign has set a goal of 2,000 contributions and is offering a range of incentives for different amounts of cash. A gift of $25 will give access to online and in person chats with Grist writers; $1,000 will enroll you in its high-end donors' club.

In a humorous video created to promote the campaign, Grist columnist Umbra Fisk, wearing an animal mask, calls for donations: "Back in the 1990s environmental journalists were as common as camels in the desert, but the new millennium hasn't been kind to this fragile species (…) Without your help these fine specimens may find themselves without sanctuary, caught in the crosshairs of climate sceptics - or worse, left to fend for themselves, But it doesn't have to be that way."

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Launched in 1999, the site describes itself as "environmental news and commentary with a wry twist" and is one of a group of news organisations participating in The Climate Desk, a collaborative environmental reporting project .

Jennifer MacDonald, Grist's membership and annual support manager who designed the campaign, told Journalism.co.uk that the humour of the video and website underpins a serious message about the current state of environmental journalism.

"Grist is all about delivering environmental news and commentary with a wry twist. We are known for taking topics that are traditionally very depressing and reporting on them with a sense of humour. To be perfectly honest, the inspiration for this campaign came from a poster in our office depicting Chip Giller, our founder and president, as a great grey owl. In other words, it's a poster with a photo copy of his face taped to it," she explained.

"But in all seriousness, we have noticed how the economic downturn hit environmental reporting particularly hard, with several eco-columns and publications going under in the last year. So we decided, why not mimic campaigns to save endangered species, which in a way journalists really are? Grist is known for our zany fundraising campaigns. We’d rather err on the side of humour than earnestness. The element of humour is there, painting our staff members as wild animals, but we also hope to strike a chord of urgency, showing our readers that we really do need their support as an independent, non-profit news site."

Feedback to the campaign has been encouraging so far with around 500 donations already received. The news organisation, which is also a registered US charity, is supported through a combination of donations, foundation grants, advertising and syndication revenue.