Media Trust Limited, publishers of the Daily Trust titles, has launched a new product, Trust Plus, a digital platform that provides exclusive content for members on a subscription basis.
Though there is no paywall for access to the unique contents, the innovation is a deliberate attempt to connect journalists and journalism with the audience in a cyclical and interactive manner.
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The platform enables consumers of news or members of this community to contribute to what journalists do and for journalists to use their professional skills in producing relevant media content for the community.
This innovation is meant to alter the thinking that journalism is only an esoteric art that only people who are formally trained could engage in. It is meant to produce quality media content for the community, by the community and with the community.
This project aligns with Media Trust Limited’s policy of constant innovation for the delivery of quality news content for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.
Beginning with Weekly Trust, first published in 1998, the company has continued to come up with products that meet the needs of its audience. Daily Trust came on stream in 2000, Sunday Trust and Aminiya in 2006 while other products, including Tambari, Kilimanjaro, Golf, Teen Trust, Trust Sport, Daily Trust Online, Trust TV and now Trust Plus have emerged to serve various unique communities.
MTL has continued to evolve as the media landscape has continued to change in line with emerging technology and the needs of our audience.
In an era of social media with a baggage of trust deficit, the Trust Plus membership approach to news production and consumption is a paradigm shift from the traditional one-way news production.
The project is set on the principle that when members of the community are integrated into the news process, the final product shall be relevant and beneficial to the community. This will also strengthen journalism which has suffered from the growing powers of despots, information chaos, mistrust, financial crises and lately the COVID-19 pandemic.
This membership project, coming on stream with support from membership in News Fund and MacArthur Foundation, is open to readers in different categories.
The elite – among them the intellectuals, experts in diverse fields, top government officials and those in the diplomatic community – could join Trust Plus Community, and own the news production process in three ways: contribute to story ideas for our journalists to investigate and publish, write informed articles that provide insight into contemporary issues in the country, or do a critique of contents on the platform to enable our journalists to produce improved versions of such reports.
This way, Trust Plus digital news platform shall constantly produce in-depth investigative reports accompanied with infographics and focused on proffering solutions to the diverse regional, social and economic challenges facing the country.
Another category of this initiative is the Trust Plus Students Membership project. Open to Nigerian students in the country and the Diaspora, it creates a community of students who write about their experiences on campus, their expectations from government and society, and benefit from career guidance and counseling.
This purely interactive platform keeps students abreast with career opportunities and gives them the opportunity to make necessary adjustments in their career choices while still on campus.
The youth population in the country is put at about 60 per cent of the entire population. This segment of the country is the victim of unemployment and the target of social malaise.
As a way of catering for this population, the Trust Plus Youth Membership community shall effectively engage this segment of the society, provide exclusive content about careers, technology, trends and relationships, as a way of providing the quality of guidance needed for youths to live a meaningful life.
Products
The membership project has four major products namely:
Special Reports and Investigative/Accountability Journalism: Periodic production of special reports and investigative journalism, especially those related to women and gender issues.
Youthville+ A bi-weekly publication targeting millennials and Gen-Z
Careerville: A bi-weekly publication targeting career people. Contents would include jobs, internship and training opportunities alongside articles that advance career development.
Campus Membership: A community of students across institutions of higher learning in and outside Nigeria, reporting for Daily Trust through a mentoring programme; and coverage of Nigerian campuses.
Benefits
1. Connect: Members join our community of columnists, whistleblowers and professionals.
2. Access: Members get exclusive access to selected digital products (e-papers, members-only newsletter, podcasts, Youthville+, Careerville+)
3. Engage: Members meet our editors and reporters and be part of the journalism we do.
4. Discount: Members get discounts when they buy from our stores.
5. Opportunities: Members get exclusive access to our networking events, job and internship opportunities, training and competitions. Members will also benefit from our virtual training, knowledge sharing, expert sessions, and network building which will be held periodically.
Donating to Trust Plus digital news organisation is not only about helping to generate revenue to keep us in business. It is also a way of becoming part of that platform.
By joining and donating to the Trust Plus membership platform, members are demonstrating that they share the values of investigative and solutions journalism, career guidance for students, and a transparent approach to youth engagement in a society that is torn by social vices.
It is also about building a bond between the platform and its readers. Incidentally, this idea is in line with the age of online payment for services, a convenient system that has been facilitated by the growth in technology.
Quality journalism costs money as it involves a lot of research, travel, hiring of skilled professionals, and acquisition of modern journalism equipment. Members of this community are required to contribute a minimum of N1,000 monthly to this project, as a strategy of crowdfunding to keep Trust Plus on stream.
As this contribution is not a paywall, students and the unemployed may not be required to make financial contributions to become members.
To join the unique Trust Plus membership community, you may log into https://membership.dailytrust.com/ and follow through the process to register and subscribe to the community or simply make your financial contribution.
Thank you for your interest in supporting Daily Trust Plus.
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