What is Civil?

We’re a marketplace for journalism: writing it, reading it, reacting to it and supporting it. We aim to reignite a more direct connection between readers (or “Citizens,” as they’re known on Civil) and journalists (“Newsmakers”), while taking advertisers, publishers and other third-parties out of the equation. We’re not a news publication: we‘re a blockchain-based platform on which journalists can independently found and run Newsrooms focused on local, policy and investigative journalism.

We believe that the ad-driven business model is slowly killing good journalism — which is itself a critical foundation for free, democratic societies. So, we’re introducing a new model.

What do you mean by a “new model for journalism?”

The rise of blockchain technology, one of the most transformative technologies we’ve seen since the advent of the internet, has unlocked new ways to operate businesses. In the case of journalism, it unlocks two critical features: self-governance and permanence. More broadly, it enables journalists to take the oft-criticized “middleman” (advertisers, publishers, other, non-journalistic third-parties) out of the equation.

Breaking down how blockchain works can inspire much confusion, but its basic function is really not as complicated as many explanations make it out to be.

“Blockchain” refers to a massive network of independent computers, or “nodes,” that each have independent access to a “digital ledger” (think: an Excel spreadsheet on steroids) that tracks and records all transactions that occur on the network. The record is simultaneously updated across each individual node, which makes it nearly impossible to alter content once it’s recorded on the blockchain.

To many, it’s still a mystifying, hard-to-grasp model, but blockchain at its core unlocks two key differentiators for modern businesses:

Permanence, or the ability to create an unchangeable record for data that lives outside the grasp of a single company (even Google!)

Governance, or the ability to create vastly different power structures that efficiently spreads decision-making out across an entire network, as opposed to concentrating power in the hands of a single individual or a small group

Here’s a more detailed blockchain explainer piece for those interested.

OK… but how does blockchain apply to Civil’s model?

Let’s revisit the permanence and governance concepts, with a bit more Civil-centric context:

Permanence

For journalism, this means that archives can be stored permanently — not suddenly taken down at the whim of a billionaire or limited group of actors overseeing a centralized server on which the entirety of a publication’s data lives. Civil uses the Ethereum blockchain to ensure that data is distributed across a giant network, and that no single party is in control.

Governance

Blockchain also provides a mechanism that allows communities — in our case, individual Newsrooms — to govern themselves without a central authority, and to assure the long-term independence of the platform. So, Civil’s model of open governance grants Citizens who participate (via sponsoring Newsrooms, fact-checking articles, attracting new readers, etc.) a variety of enforceable voting rights. If there is a dispute — i.e. if someone has committed violation of ethics, people can challenge an action and a vote will occur, resulting in a decision that will be enforceable across the entire platform.

This is a big deal, and marks a significant departure from the norm. Under journalism’s current model (and most businesses’, for that matter) all of a given network’s profit and power is concentrated within a single company, or even individual. As Coinbase cofounder Fred Ehrsam explains the importance of blockchain’s governance model:

… you’re either inside or you’re outside. It’s important the networks we live in serve our best interests. With blockchains emerging as the new global infrastructure, we have the opportunity to create vastly different power structures and program the future we want for ourselves.

Can I use traditional cash like USD for transactions on Civil?

Yes. Our goal is to make quality journalism on Civil’s platform accessible for everybody. Payments will be accepted in traditional and cryptocurrencies — including USD, GBP, EUR, JNY, ETH and, of course, the CVL token.

To participate in the governance of the platform — which includes challenging Newsmaker / Newsroom applications and fact-checking — users must transact in CVL tokens. It’s these tokens, which run on a smart contract model, that enable Citizens and Newsrooms to interact without middlemen like third-party publishers and advertisers. Under this model, a Newsroom’s funding is always traceable and transparent; Citizens can see where Newsrooms are getting their funding, and who is supporting them. We believe this will bring another level of honesty to the platform.

How is this model different from crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is about backing a single project or idea, and usually doing so via a third-party. We don’t see that band-aid approach as being nearly enough to introduce a viable new model for journalism.

Civil has adopted a platform model on which a limitless number of Newsrooms can live. The growth of the overall network will aid that of individual Newsrooms, and vice versa. While Newsrooms can certainly make a crowdfunding-esque model available to support a given story or project, it’s only one of a number of options they have to garner monetary support for their content.

How do CVL tokens factor in?

CVL tokens are required for participating in Civil’s self-governance model — they’re the chips by which the Civil community will vote on key decisions (e.g., whether a prospective Newsroom meets Civil’s journalism ethics standards), and how Newsmakers will gain access to the publishing tools that will allow them to produce content on Civil.

It’s important to note that having CVL tokens is not a prerequisite to accessing journalism on Civil. Many citizens will simply want to come to Civil to read and support high quality journalism. They do not need to know about blockchain nor ever possess CVL tokens for that process.

We refer to this concept — the differing experiences of those that use CVL tokens and those that do not — as “The Waterline.” More detail can be found here.

How do I acquire CVL tokens?

We will be holding a launch event for Newsmakers and Citizens to purchase CVL tokens in Spring 2018. CVL is a utility token that will power Civil, a consumer-facing application dedicated to introducing a better journalism model to Newsmakers and Citizens alike.

Stay tuned to this space for more information on that in the near future.

Do I have to be a journalist to apply for a Newsroom?

No. Any interested party can apply for consideration to launch a newsroom on Civil. While you don’t need a formal journalism background, you should have demonstrated proficiency as a writer, and be able to demonstrate a tangible path to sustainability.

Once Civil’s platform is live, citizens will be able to apply by taking four steps:

• Submit a charter (proposed topic to cover, viable business plan)
• Submit a roster (other participants — writers/editors/designers/etc. — involved in the proposed Newsroom)
• Sign the Civil Constitution and pledge to always abide by its journalism ethics standards to the best of your ability
• Stake CVL tokens to state the seriousness of your intent (also a critical hedge against spammers and trolls)

Where is the best place to stay informed on Civil community news?

This blog! We also send out a weekly newsletter with major updates from the Civil community :