German based photo agency Laif, has launched a four-week grassroots campaign with the aim of recruiting 200 new members to help found the non-profit laif foundation run by PAN reader, ex ddp boss, Ulf Schmidt-Funke.
Photographers from the agency went out networking to set up the foundation and have already signed up 350 members (including 15 from the UK) inside two months!
The reason for starting this foundation is because, they say, “Independent and transparent journalistic offerings that are geared towards the common good are urgently needed in our society.” So, the foundation wants to work with NGO’s and companies wanting to translate their aims through photojournalism.
…and here’s the detail:
What are the aims of the laif foundation?
The foundation pursues three main goals to promote an informed society and a strong democracy:
• We want to equip young people in particular with more media skills, because the ability to obtain information and evaluate news is becoming increasingly important.
• We are building an independent international publishing and community platform around the topics of photojournalism and documentary photography and giving photojournalistic work more visibility.
• We are committed to introducing a quality seal for the origin and credibility of images.
Why is nonprofit journalism so important right now?
Artificial intelligence is blurring the boundaries between fact and fake. Within a few seconds, artificial images are easily generated using prompts, which can lead to the spread of disinformation. Exclusively profit-oriented social media companies control the dissemination of information – often without comprehensible ethical or editorial standards.
This creates gaps in the formation of public opinion and our democracy is gradually losing its “fourth power”. That’s why a functioning press is needed right now – as an authority for credibility and direction that verifies information, constructively classifies topics and stories and shows connections.
“If we can no longer trust our eyes, we need reliable and independent institutions for the credibility of images and texts. That’s why we are establishing the non-profit laif foundation,” says Ulf Schmidt-Funke, future managing director of the foundation.
What makes the cooperative model so successful?
Around a year and a half ago, photographers from the renowned photo agency laif showed that joint commitment to a good cause can generate enormous momentum.
Through a crowdfunding campaign that was unprecedented in the industry, they were able to separate the agency from a listed company and lead it independently into the future in a cooperative model with the principle of “one member, one vote”.
This laid the foundation for an innovative concept with which the impact of one’s own journalistic work can be expanded and a greater contribution can be made to the diversity of opinions and to informing society.
“With the laif foundation, we are now taking the next step in our transformation process and are driving forward new approaches, forms of publication and revenue models as pioneers in photojournalism,” says board member Andreas Herzau.
How do we achieve the goal?
“We are recruiting around 200 people who believe our photojournalistic approach and strengthening our democracy is so important and meaningful and they can become part of this unique, committed and inspiring initiative with a one-off membership fee of 1,000 euros – or more. Our The goal is to be able to celebrate the five hundredth member of the cooperative in October,” explained Christoph Bangert and Manfred Linke, also members of the cooperative’s board.
Related on PAN: VII photo agency acquired by VII foundation.