Republik

Republik is an independent, reader-owned, and advertising-free digital media outlet launched in Switzerland in January 2018. Published in German, the newsroom follows this principle: "Without journalism, there no democracy. And without democracy, there is no freedom". It covers political, economic, societal, and cultural issues.

The media publishes several daily articles that can be read by paying members and subscribers through the website, the newsletter, or the media outlet's mobile application.

It was founded through a crowdfunding campaign in 2017. To date, Republik is supported by its readers and is wholly transparent, systematically disclosing information about finances, ownership, working methods, and wages.

With its headquarters in Zurich, the media outlet works under two separate organisations that are both intrinsic to its business model. Its largest owner, the company Project R, is a non-profit cooperative that takes on all development costs: research, conception, open-source technologies, and training. The newsroom itself is organised as a company, Republik AG. The organisation's revenue comes from audience memberships and donations, and finances are published in the annual report (2020-2021).

The media outlet has won several Swiss journalism awards and the European Publishing Award as the European Start-up of the Year in 2019.