About Us
The Citizen Bulletin is a nonprofit, digital-first newsroom dedicated to community-centered, mission-driven storytelling. Our well-rounded, hyperlocal, inclusive, and human-centered journalism empowers audiences in Matabeleland to better understand and navigate complex local challenges.
Founded in 2017 under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Centre for Media and Information Literacy, The Citizen Bulletin is based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. We focus on ‘unbreaking’ news and produce unrivaled narrative reporting that cuts through the noise.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide nuanced, data-driven, and solutions-focused journalism that empowers communities from Matabeleland and beyond to understand and address their most pressing local challenges. Through our work, we strive to foster good governance, equity, and progress, one story at a time.
Our work centers on four key beats: public health, education, climate & environment, and the socio-economic and political factors that intersect with them.
Our Model
In the next three years, beginning in 2025 and extending through 2028, The Citizen Bulletin has adopted a new reporting model, transitioning from individual stories to series-based journalism. This approach allows us to slow down, focus deeply on critical issues, and provide a layered understanding of complex, interconnected challenges that affect our communities.
Community Building
The Citizen Bulletin operates as a journalistic community organizer, creating spaces for citizens to access critical information and participate in conversations about governance and social change. To ensure relevance and impact, we engage directly with our audiences through live events, social media interactions, and tailored outreach campaigns. Our reporting projects are often shaped by community feedback, ensuring that we remain responsive to the needs and voices of the Matabeleland region.
Our Funding Model
We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization funded through philanthropy and reader revenue streams. Our primary funding comes from grants provided by international donors. We’ve also launched nascent efforts to explore revenue from membership programs, events, and merchandise sales. While we accept funding from institutional sources, we maintain strict editorial independence. We do not accept funding from and other forms of support from political parties, terror organizations, or governments of the country we serve. Transparency is central to our ethos; any changes to our funding model will be updated on this page.
Our Team
The Citizen Bulletin is led by a team of distributed, tech-savvy journalists and media professionals with a deep understanding of Matabeleland’s unique challenges. Combining expertise in storytelling, audience engagement, and innovative journalism models, our team is committed to producing expert, high-quality journalism that cuts through the noise. To connect with our team, email us at Newsroom@thecitizenbulletin.org.