Tech Journalism has been broken for a long time.
Articles that are, in reality, corporate press releases in disguise.
YouTube videos funded entirely by Google’s advertising system (with revenue for creators dropping fast).
Tech Journalists afraid to speak their true opinions due to fear of losing sponsors and advertisers… or, worse, being silenced entirely.
Big Tech — and Enterprise Tech — has nearly total control of the Tech Journalism space.
And it’s only getting worse. Increasingly, the major Tech News outlets are turning to A.I. Chatbots to write a large portion of their stories (in a way that will appease their Big Tech masters).
But all is not lost.
We have a proven system that completely eliminates every problem listed above: Audience supported publications, hosted on a non-Big-Tech platform.
The Lunduke Journal of Technology (Lunduke.Locals.com) has shown that this is possible.
100% supported by audience subscriptions.
100% ad-free.
100% Big-Tech free.
No algorithm deciding what you read, hear, see, or think.
No A.I. generated content — every word is written by a human.
Every opinion is real. Every fact is triple checked by a person. No company — big or small — can influence what we report.
And you can see the direct results in the coverage. We, unafraid, take on everyone from Wikipedia to Mozilla. Real facts, real opinions, and real journalism. With a whole lot of fun sprinkled in between.
The Lunduke Journal provides the blueprint
When The Lunduke Journal of Technology first launched — with all of those ideals — the odds seemed stacked against us.
Every Tech Journalist, publisher, podcaster, and YouTuber I spoke to thought the idea was crazy. “No way could this work,” they said!
But, you know what? It worked.
Thanks, in very large part, to all of you.
Over the last few years we have been able to remain committed to our ideals and, as of this writing, The Lunduke Journal of Technology is the most widely read publication that is 100% free from all Big Tech and advertisers.
Together we’ve blazed a new trail. We’ve experimented with how to make this noble idea work — with both mistakes and successes along the way.
And now, we can confidently say, we have a system that works. One that will work for all forms of Tech Journalism — writers, podcasters, and video creators alike. The Lunduke Journal can be the case study. With numbers and documented results to show others how to break their Tech Publication free from the shackles of Big Tech.
We need your help to make it happen
I am now on a quest to spread what I have learned to other Tech Journalists. The more publications that are freed from Big Tech control, the better.
But I can’t do it alone.
Here’s two — absolutely amazing — ways you can help make this happen.
#1) Spread the word.
I’m currently talking with a number of Tech Journalists (with audiences both large and small) about this. But, quite frankly, I am only one man. And, while my rolodex of Tech Journalists ain’t too shabby, there are oh-so-many Tech Journalists that I simply do not have any relationship with.
That’s where you come in.
If there is a journalist or publication you respect, who is shackled in some way by the problems I outlined above, let them know there is an alternative. Send them this article. Encourage them to get ahold of me.
Heck. Give them my E-Mail address: bryan at lunduke.com.
I will gladly answer questions about the approach I have taken, and share with them what has worked (and what has not). There’s no direct benefit for me with this… other than the fact that a healthy world of Tech Journalism is good for all of us.
#2) Subscribe to The Lunduke Journal
The second way you can help is by subscribing to The Lunduke Journal of Technology.
Yes. Subscribing helps me directly. And I like that.
But, importantly, the more successful The Lunduke Journal is… the easier it is to show other publishers that the (seemingly daunting) task of becoming free from Big Tech is not only doable… but beneficial.
When I talk to big Tech Journalists (of any kind) they all have two immediate questions:
If you are no longer on YouTube (or any other specific platform), how to people discover your work?
If you drop all advertising… how many people subscribe to support your work?
That second question is where you subscribing helps — the more subscribers The Lunduke Journal has, the more obvious it is that a 100% audience supported system works for Tech Journalism.
If you’ve been on the fence… now’s the time to jump in. We either fight to save Tech Journalism… or it dies. Now is the time for action. And this action, while seemingly small, makes a huge difference.
Your Homework
If this is important to you (and, if you are reading this, it obviously is), I’ve got some quick homework for you:
If you are a Tech Journalist:
Contact Lunduke (bryan at lunduke.com). Ask any questions you have. There are lots of ways to De-Big-Tech your publication (while still being professional and sustainable as a full-time endeavor)… and I’ve tried a lot of them.
If you enjoy Tech Journalism:
Subscribe to The Lunduke Journal at Lunduke.Locals.com.
Find your favorite Tech Journalist or publication… and let them know that they have options other than Big Tech. Send them this article. Send them my E-Mail.
The time to act is now.
-Lunduke
