Vox today announced a new way for its audience to support its journalism, with a new program for the network. Audience contributions will fund Vox’s acclaimed journalism, which helps explain the most crucial aspects of the global coronavirus crisis, as well as navigate society’s new normal. Vox is continuing to provide content for free and without a paywall during this time, and this new program will help ensure that Vox’s essential Covid-19 coverage maintains the quality and volume that the crisis demands.
“Our dedicated team of journalists has boundless ambitions — and feels a great sense of responsibility — to bring you more of our distinctive coverage, in new and different ways, and to continue to do that for free,” says Lauren Williams, SVP & editor-in-chief, Vox and Recode, in an editor’s letter posted today at Vox.
Vox’s journalism has been met with record audience demand as the need for clear answers to the most crucial questions about this pandemic continues to grow: March 2020 saw the most traffic in Vox’s history (on both its own platform and Apple News), as well as the most YouTube views in Vox’s history. Vox’s podcasts are also in high demand, with year-to-date downloads nearly twice what they were in 2019, as audiences turn to shows including The Ezra Klein Show, Today, Explained, and The Weeds to help them make sense of the crisis. Audience contributions will support all of Vox’s journalism across media and platforms.
On Vox, coverage of the coronavirus pandemic began on January 6, when senior health correspondent Julia Belluz published an article about a mysterious respiratory illness baffling doctors in China. Since that first piece in January, Vox has been covering this moment extensively, tirelessly, and with its accessible style of explanatory journalism. Coverage has included one of the first reports on “flattening the curve,” which has been viewed more than 9.4 million times and was shared on Twitter and Facebook by former President Barack Obama. Vox’s video, inspired by that viral article, has more than 6 million views on YouTube and has been translated into 75-plus languages, helping to spread this crucial message across the globe. And Italy’s state police and the Philippine Health Department have adapted the video for their own citizens; the latter country’s version has reached 2 million views. Additionally, Google included Vox’s video in its safety tips, along with resources from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a whole, Vox’s Covid-19 coverage has reached more than 95 million pageviews and 44 million YouTube views.
Contributions to Vox will enable the work of its team in its ambitious plans to explain the biggest obstacles America faces in battling this deadly pandemic, including key lessons America should learn from health care systems around the world; produce distinctive video explainers that empower a global audience with key public health information; and build on the work in development with Future Perfect that explores how we can all act to reduce the most suffering in the world right now.
To learn more or make a one-time or monthly contribution, visit Vox.com/support-now. Contributions do not constitute a charitable donation but will enable Vox to continue bringing readers essential information.
