Crowdfunding long-form science journalism (UPDATED)

MATTER is an interesting start-up, looking to create a home for something increasingly rare: high quality, long-form commissioned science journalism. The people behind it are experienced professional journalists who've written for publications like New Scientist and the Guardian; it is not an amateur effort. So if you'd like to read more long-form science journalism, and would be willing to pay small amounts for it ($0.99 USD per several thousand w0rd article), then click the link and consider donating (the link goes to their Kickstarter crowdfunding page). You won't be alone; they're clearly going to blow past their initial funding goal.

One fun aspect of this is that donors get to be on the "editorial board", meaning they get to help choose the stories that get commissioned. Donors also get the first few stories free, and various other goodies depending on how much they donate.

Discussion from top US financial/journalism blogger Felix Salmon here (he thinks it's a great idea). Further discussion from a skeptic (who thinks it won't be financially sustainable in the long run) here. UPDATE: One of the founders of Matter responds to skepticism about their business plan here.