Authors, texts, journalism.
In an app for everyone who likes to read.
Neutra combines interesting articles, worldwide sources and different languages. Without advertising, tracking or algorithms, at a fair price, and in one neat app.
Background
The traditional newspaper was based on a manageable and lucrative business model. One third was journalism, another third consisted of news agency reports, and the rest was advertising or classifieds that you might like, or could easily ignore if you didn’t. A newspaper gave you something to identify with, brought order to the world, and offered opinion and analysis. The possibilities were limited, but the overall package was coherent. Readers sat in a coffee shop or on the subway with their favourite newspaper and thus signalled where they felt they belonged.
The internet has changed the rules of the game. The instant availability of worldwide sources has led to a massive increase in the diversity of information. Never before have so many good things been written, never before has there been so much of interest to read. Of course we welcome this development, but it has had one uncomfortable side effect: The classical newspaper lost its status as society’s leading medium, and circulations declined. At the same time, new companies such as Google and Facebook promised to know precisely what readers wanted and needed through data analysis and algorithms. Ever since, advertising money, an essential component of the traditional business model, has flowed towards Silicon Valley.
The reactions of some media companies to declining revenues and other challenges have been ruthless: firing journalists, increased use of disruptive advertising in many forms, tracking readers on the net, selling personal data, uncritical treatment of social media, shorter news cycles, complicated subscriptions and cancellation procedures, sponsored content that is hardly recognizable as such, and other obstacles that interrupt the flow of reading. But attacking the form also damages the content. Customers’ confidence in journalism has suffered badly. It’s safe to say: Many small and large publishers have lost control over their medium.
Neutra
Therefore, the time is ripe for a business model that brings authors closer to their readers and restores trust. So we built Neutra. A curated, worldwide platform for offering and reading journalistic content. Without annoying pop-ups, advertising or clickbait. Clean, simple, fast and honest, focused on the written word, all while respecting your privacy to the utmost. Those who use Neutra support interesting and diverse journalism, a pillar of any freedom-oriented society, without any ifs, ands or buts.
In other words, we respect the intelligence and privacy of our readers by offering a transparent product. Our model is the coffee shop: Open the newspaper, read some interesting stories, know more, set the newspaper down, voilà.
The Company
Neutra was founded by Roger André Rebetez and Helmut Lasser with their own money. Neutra is our contribution to strengthening the Fourth Estate – i.e. journalists and authors, publications and publishers, and above all, interested citizens like ourselves. We do this with a lot of heart and soul, a little skill and considerable financial risk.
If you would like to support us or have other questions, we look forward to hearing from you. More information is available under Questions, Answers and in our Privacy Policy.
Background
The traditional newspaper was based on a manageable and lucrative business model. One third was journalism, another third consisted of news agency reports, and the rest was advertising or classifieds that you might like, or could easily ignore if you didn’t. A newspaper gave you something to identify with, brought order to the world, and offered opinion and analysis. The possibilities were limited, but the overall package was coherent. Readers sat in a coffee shop or on the subway with their favourite newspaper and thus signalled where they felt they belonged.
The internet has changed the rules of the game. The instant availability of worldwide sources has led to a massive increase in the diversity of information. Never before have so many good things been written, never before has there been so much of interest to read. Of course we welcome this development, but it has had one uncomfortable side effect: The classical newspaper lost its status as society’s leading medium, and circulations declined. At the same time, new companies such as Google and Facebook promised to know precisely what readers wanted and needed through data analysis and algorithms. Ever since, advertising money, an essential component of the traditional business model, has flowed towards Silicon Valley.
The reactions of some media companies to declining revenues and other challenges have been ruthless: firing journalists, increased use of disruptive advertising in many forms, tracking readers on the net, selling personal data, uncritical treatment of social media, shorter news cycles, complicated subscriptions and cancellation procedures, sponsored content that is hardly recognizable as such, and other obstacles that interrupt the flow of reading. But attacking the form also damages the content. Customers’ confidence in journalism has suffered badly. It’s safe to say: Many small and large publishers have lost control over their medium.
Neutra
Therefore, the time is ripe for a business model that brings authors closer to their readers and restores trust. So we built Neutra. A curated, worldwide platform for offering and reading journalistic content. Without annoying pop-ups, advertising or clickbait. Clean, simple, fast and honest, focused on the written word, all while respecting your privacy to the utmost. Those who use Neutra support interesting and diverse journalism, a pillar of any freedom-oriented society, without any ifs, ands or buts.
In other words, we respect the intelligence and privacy of our readers by offering a transparent product. Our model is the coffee shop: Open the newspaper, read some interesting stories, know more, set the newspaper down, voilà.
The Company
Neutra was founded by Roger André Rebetez and Helmut Lasser with their own money. Neutra is our contribution to strengthening the Fourth Estate – i.e. journalists and authors, publications and publishers, and above all, interested citizens like ourselves. We do this with a lot of heart and soul, a little skill and considerable financial risk.
If you would like to support us or have other questions, we look forward to hearing from you. More information is available under Questions, Answers and in our Privacy Policy.