How Does C’est Vrai Work?

C’est Vrai is French for, "It's true," a reference to the reliably-sourced, fact-based reporting function of the web app. At the time of launch, C'est Vrai will have up to 5 million database entries comprised of information taken from publicly-available sources, which have been processed for names, roles, and relationship information. 

Users will be able to search the database for information related to specific individuals or entities, as well as discover relationships between two such entities - regardless of the number of degrees of separation between them.  This function will enable reporters who use the app to save time on the research aspect of investigative reporting.  Here’s how it works:

Timeline: What’s Next?

• Phase 1 - Campaign launched: Funds raised will help developers work toward the completion of C’est Vrai.
• Phase 2 - Campaign complete: C’est Vrai Beta goes live in March.  Subscriptions to the app and newsletter become available to contributors (depending on the amount given).
• Phase 3 - C’est Vrai complete.  At this time, the research tool of C’est Vrai will be publicly-available via subscription.  Revenue will help build out the investigative journalism cooperative of Progress New York.

After the completion of these phases, journalists, researchers, and others will be able to access C’est Vrai’s custom-built and maintained database of reliably sourced information.  Journalism is moving toward the usage of computer-assisted reporting tools, and C’est Vrai was created to rival other information products, but at a much more affordable rate.

Lastly, we will be putting out an exclusive weekly newsletter to contributors that will provide a curated selection of news articles based on the insight of Progress New York reporters.

The Team: Progress New York

Louis Flores, editor of Progress New York, is an activist and blogger who turned to citizen journalism after realizing the corporate-owned media would not fully report the truth about the corruptive role of money in politics. He began reporting on New York City politics after term limits were overturned for municipal politicians. His activism and blogs have been covered by The New York Times, The Advocate, The New York Daily News, and Têtu.

Louis Flores’ track record with citizen journalism has been impressive.  He has used an existing news website, Progress Queens, as a vehicle to file open records requests with municipal, state, and federal agencies.  Progress Queens has recorded over 100,000 page views, impactful for being an outlet for citizen journalism.  

Reports published by Progress Queens with the assistance of C’est Vrai have have attracted significant attention from “important eyeballs,” such as officials with the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other law enforcement agencies.

Also part of this project is Michael Synan, website developer, data analyst, and technologist. He has a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies from Hunter College and has been involved in political work related to gentrification, particularly the influence of corporate real estate on land use.

The cooperative includes one additional member, and is actively recruiting other potential partners.

Risks & Challenges

If this crowdfunding campaign is not successful, the completion of C'est Vrai may not be achieved in time for the launch of our cooperative.  Consequently, the developers will have to seek private investors or backers to fund the completion of C'est Vrai. Seeking private backers may involve loans or compromising the financial feasibility of an investigative journalism cooperative.  

The developers behind C'est Vrai are counting on support from the news media, big data, and worker cooperative communities to spread the word about this crowdfunding campaign so that the funding goal can be achieved.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to make a donation, there are ways you can help this crowdfunding campaign reach its goal:

• Ask your friends and families to share the link to this crowdfunding campaign and to explain what is at stake for them if we can complete the development of C'est Vrai.
• Share this link on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Please know you can use the Indiegogo share tools as well!

Thank you so much for your support.