At Access/Information we actively monitor new information resources, and one recent noteworthy news resource is Civil, a blockchain-based economy and platform for ethical, high-quality journalism. Founded by the Civil Media Company, the Civil ecosystem includes multiple local, investigative, policy, and international newsrooms. The heart of Civil is the Civil Constitution, currently in beta for public review, which newsrooms are required to uphold to be included on the Civil network.

In lieu of advertising, the business model for Civil incorporates subscriptions and CVL tokens, currently available for purchase, which can be used to launch a newsroom, challenge a newsroom, vote for or against a challenge, appeal a challenge, and directly support journalists. The process to buy CVL tokens is extensive, including a quiz to understand how tokens work. The overall mission of Civil is “to help power sustainable journalism throughout the world.”

The Colorado Sun, one of the local newsrooms, focuses on “investigative, explanatory and narrative journalism for a state in the midst of a massive evolution” and is run by former top editors and writers at the Denver Post. The newsroom offers free access to The Sunriser, a thrice-weekly newsletter highlighting the best in journalism about Colorado, in addition to its coverage of news, culture, and opinion pages. The Colorado Sun is a must-read resource for anyone interested in news about Colorado.

Another newsroom of note is Cannabis Wire. In addition to news about the cannabis industry, it provides resources on issues including state laws, medical history, veterans, quality control, and much more.

Have you explored Civil or other blockchain resources? Connect with us if you’d like help evaluating your news and information needs.