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Millifandom leader crowdfunds interviews with Labour candidates Millifandom leader crowdfunds interviews with Labour candidates
(about 3 hours later)
Millifandom leader Abby Tomlinson has joined crowdfunding platform Byline to find backers for a video blog which will open with a series of interviews with Labour leadership contenders. Milifandom leader Abby Tomlinson has joined crowdfunding platform Byline to find backers for a video blog which will open with a series of interviews with Labour leadership contenders.
Tomlinson – who met Ed Milliband for the first time last month – has already filmed interviews with Andy Burnham and Jeremy Corbyn, and is scheduled to speak to Yvette Cooper. She is also hoping to interview Liz Kendall, and has requested time with the Labour deputy leadership candidates.Tomlinson – who met Ed Milliband for the first time last month – has already filmed interviews with Andy Burnham and Jeremy Corbyn, and is scheduled to speak to Yvette Cooper. She is also hoping to interview Liz Kendall, and has requested time with the Labour deputy leadership candidates.
Tomlinson said she decided to do the interviews after realising she didn’t know who to back to lead the party.Tomlinson said she decided to do the interviews after realising she didn’t know who to back to lead the party.
“I thought it would be helpful to ask them questions they wouldn’t get asked at hustings or televised interviews,” she said. “I’m hoping a lot of young people will be interested and it will engage more young people in what’s going on in the party at the moment.”“I thought it would be helpful to ask them questions they wouldn’t get asked at hustings or televised interviews,” she said. “I’m hoping a lot of young people will be interested and it will engage more young people in what’s going on in the party at the moment.”
Tomlinson hopes to raise £1,500 a month to cover the costs of turning the vlog into a biweekly series called Westminster Abby.Tomlinson hopes to raise £1,500 a month to cover the costs of turning the vlog into a biweekly series called Westminster Abby.
She is offering a sliding scale of rewards for backers, from £2 per month for access to the Byline’s community to £100 for a phone call to discuss the backers views and have them expressed in the vlogs.She is offering a sliding scale of rewards for backers, from £2 per month for access to the Byline’s community to £100 for a phone call to discuss the backers views and have them expressed in the vlogs.
“I’ll see the response it gets first before I decide if I’m going to do it all the time yet,” she said.“I’ll see the response it gets first before I decide if I’m going to do it all the time yet,” she said.
Tomlinson will be joined in the next few months on Byline by Popbitch, the notorious gossip email newsletter and website.Tomlinson will be joined in the next few months on Byline by Popbitch, the notorious gossip email newsletter and website.
“Popbitch is probably one of the earliest crowdsourced and crowdfunded publications so [Byline] seemed like a natural place to have a conversation with,” said Popbitch founder Camilla Wright.“Popbitch is probably one of the earliest crowdsourced and crowdfunded publications so [Byline] seemed like a natural place to have a conversation with,” said Popbitch founder Camilla Wright.
“In the last couple of years have moved into slightly longer-form journalism through a phone and tablet app. So we were talking to Byline about an investigation, a project we wouldn’t normally stick in the Popbitch brand. There are so many interesting stories out there in the world, in media and popular culture to look at.”“In the last couple of years have moved into slightly longer-form journalism through a phone and tablet app. So we were talking to Byline about an investigation, a project we wouldn’t normally stick in the Popbitch brand. There are so many interesting stories out there in the world, in media and popular culture to look at.”
Byline launched three months ago, and claims to have racked up 300,000 unique visitors a month. It is part of a growing trend for startups allowing individual journalists and small organisations to ask readers directly for financial support for projects.Byline launched three months ago, and claims to have racked up 300,000 unique visitors a month. It is part of a growing trend for startups allowing individual journalists and small organisations to ask readers directly for financial support for projects.
Other writers on the platform include include sometime Guardian commentator Julie Bindel who has raised more than £6,500 to investigate the global sex trade, Brown Moses and Bellingcat founder Higgins and court reporter James Doleman, who raised more than £2,000 in 24 hours to cover the Andy Coulson perjury trial.Other writers on the platform include include sometime Guardian commentator Julie Bindel who has raised more than £6,500 to investigate the global sex trade, Brown Moses and Bellingcat founder Higgins and court reporter James Doleman, who raised more than £2,000 in 24 hours to cover the Andy Coulson perjury trial.
The site’s advisers include Peter Jukes, who raised funding via Twitter to cover the phone-hacking trials, and former Times editor Harry Evans.The site’s advisers include Peter Jukes, who raised funding via Twitter to cover the phone-hacking trials, and former Times editor Harry Evans.
Evans said Byline was “a perfect marriage of the web and the traditional newspaper ... a venture that will sustain information for a functioning democracy and rescue us from volumes of clickbait and celebrity rubbish.”Evans said Byline was “a perfect marriage of the web and the traditional newspaper ... a venture that will sustain information for a functioning democracy and rescue us from volumes of clickbait and celebrity rubbish.”