Worker-owned outlets must still run a good business and serve their readers, said Schneider, who advises founders to “put the co-op on the bottom of your about page, not the front of your home page.”

Recognizing the challenges that come with fundraising, the founders of The 51st, a local news site in Washington, D.C., opted for a different approach. Instead of creating a worker-owned cooperative, they established a worker self-directed nonprofit. Workers make up the board of the organization, and its nonprofit status allows it to raise money mo... See more