Our mission is to change social media for good. We’re a UK based registered charity, diverse, democratic and committed to making social media work by building safe, committed knowledge-sharing networks. We have a unique opportunity to seize the social internet from Big Tech and put it in service of users and society.

We publish and maintain Newsmast and Patchwork, projects built with ActivityPub and networked with the social web (aka the Fediverse). We also run channel.org, a membership based social web accelerator programme for socially beneficial organisations to discover, understand & get the most out of the social web.

The social web is a safe, open, free and trustworthy ecosystem - a network of innovative platforms and projects, where posting to one platform means posting to all. Its a credible alternative to social media.

Our flagship app, Newsmast is our response to the social media of today. It’s powered by Mastodon and part of the decentralised social web. Free from algorithms and ads, Newsmast champions transparency and inclusivity, networking individuals through topical Communities built around the issues and outlets that matter.

channel.org is a membership programme, helping individuals and organisations discover understand & get the most out of the social web. channel.org is a social web accelerator programme, designed to get organnisations up to speed with this exciting new ecosystem.

Patchwork is a technology that empowers organisations and individuals to take control of their social space by establishing their own server on the social web. Perfect for publishers, non-profits, and academic institutions, Patchwork provides a suite of easy to use, bespoke tools to manage your own server on the social web.

We champion the work of journalists, academics, charities and NGOs – together with diverse voices, marginalised communities and people on the ground. Pooling facts, knowledge and ideas to tackle the biggest challenges worldwide.

You can find more information about us & our mission on our website.

Stay in touch

Follow us on our social profiles:

• Newsmast
• Mastodon
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky
• Threads
• Email - [email protected]

Follow blogs from our Team:

• Follow our newsletter for the latest developments in the social web.
• Follow Michael's blog for development updates.
• Follow Saskia's blog for reflections on the state of the social web.

If you like, you can help keep the lights on by donating to our Patreon. Any donations are appreciated and let you join our Discord channel.

Our team

Trustees

• Michael Foster - Ex-director of Reuters New Media and FT.com, Michael’s decades of experience at the intersection of news media and tech during the height of the dot com boom has helped shape the Newsmast project and ethos. @[email protected]

• Artur Ekert - As a professor of quantum physics at Merton College, University of Oxford and founding director of CQT, Artur joined the project to help ensure we stay on track to deliver a platform where academia is at the forefront of what we do. @[email protected]

• Jeff Streeter - As a British Council Director, Jeff spent years travelling the world sharing culture, language and education with people from different countries and cities. Now based in Tokyo, he spends most of his time looking introspectively at literature and language on his thought provoking blog, English Republic of Letters. @[email protected]

The Team

• Freddie - Freddie focuses on building partnerships and collaborations with external organisations, and bringing Newsmast to a wider audience. He reads, writes and draws when he can, or schemes in the kitchen. @[email protected]

• Saskia - After joining the team as an intern, Saskia has gone on to help lead Newsmast’s curation, communications and marketing. An avid writer and reader, when she’s not got her head in a book she’s out walking in the Yorkshire Dales with her dogs. @[email protected]

• Andy - As our Digital Outreach Manager, Andy oversees our data, analytics and CRM systems. He has been a supporter and key member of the Newsmast team since our founding. In his spare time you’ll find him with his family, running the occasional marathon or cycling cross-country. @[email protected]

Volunteer

We run a Discord server for people who want to be more involved with Newsmast and support the curation and moderation of our Communities. In time, we are hoping that the Communities will become increasingly self directed with the Newsmast team in a more supporting role.

We also welcome contributions to “Community Hubs” - resources of Community updates, guidelines, information and recommended followers for newcomers and established Community members alike.

If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please email support [at] newsmastfoundation [dot] org for more information.