While investigating a story, journalists often unearth, polish, and filter a great deal of data. The byproduct of these data collections can be valuable for research companies, product manufacturers, and academics. ProPublica has realized this, and as the 5-month old test of its Data Store bears out, the idea is a viable one. The business case for this product is nascent. For ProPublica, an entrepreneurial supplier of quality data, it offers a strong addition to the brand's value. Even if the revenue potential for selling data as a product is tentative, the entrepreneurial drive that actually gets it to market is invaluable.
Overall: 6.17

Revenue Potential: 6

Revenue from the Data Store for ProPublic is ancillary - a supplemental stream derived from the result of its core mission. One idea to help increase its profits: Invite visitors to leave email addresses for updates on current datasets, the addition of new datasets, and of course content/stories related to topics of interest. This basic level of marketing should boost demand and revenue.

Value to Brand: 7

As long as the data being sold is organic, cobbled together through honest research, the Data Store will boost the ProPublica brand. Other publishers may be tempted to sell data about their audience, which could be a major brand risk.

User Experience: 5

Simple, clean, to the point - the Data Store platform is easy to navigate. As it gets more robust and the revenue potential becomes clearer, the design will have to become more sophisticated to keep the UX simple and strong. For now, it works.

Published by ProPublica
https://projects.propublica.org/data-store/