Research on the Economic Sustainability of Ecology-Oriented Niche Media

The sustainability paradigm has currently evolved from a mere focus on transferring resources to future generations into a multidimensional field of debate encompassing the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. While activist groups’ strategic actions provide periodic visibility in the process of raising environmental awareness, the continuous responsibility required for structural transformation rests upon media organizations. In this context, the sustainability narrative is shared between the specialized units of mainstream media and niche outlets dedicated to this field. However, the ability of these outlets to fulfill this corporate responsibility depends on the critical balance between ethical publishing principles and their financial sustainability capacities. To understand this balance and the financial challenges encountered, this study is based on in-depth interviews with senior executives from three different niche media organizations (i.e., Yeşil Gazete, İklim Haber, Carbon Brief) that publish exclusively on ecology and sustainability. Research findings reveal ecological media to face difficulties in constructing a self-sufficient financial model under the current conjuncture where even mainstream media is struggling with financial crises. The results demonstrate these outlets to be unable to maintain their economic existence without the support of non-governmental organizations, corporate sponsors, and/or individual volunteers.