Developing new models on the internet takes time. We have found that out with the Cultural Press Agency by now. With more than 7,500 followers on Twitter and 400 visitors a day to our website, we have now become a factor of importance in cultural journalism. But we are also very happy that four years after the first plans took shape and one year after the start-up subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science ended, our first publication can be read on the sites of De Persgroep, publisher of Trouw, Volkskrant and Parool.
To the placement of Madeleine Rood's report on 'the making of' the world's largest portrait of women near Amsterdam on Het Parool's websiteA lot of lobbying, development, proving-it-can be done and bravely persevering preceded. Then you look at a story like this differently.
With new plans for funding in the pipeline, new specials, such as those for Writers Unlimited, in preparation, this tentative start of cooperation with De Persgroep Online is a nice boost. After all, these are hard times for everyone involved in both culture and independent journalism.
2013 will be a year of truth for the Cultural Press Bureau, but December 2012 is already a hopeful prelude.
More is sure to follow.