Ethic

The many unanswered questions that hung in the air during the international financial crisis of 2011 were the breeding ground for the birth of Ethic, a magazine that analyses global trends and challenges. What has happened? How did we get here? What can we do in the future? Journalist Pablo Blázquez and his wife, publicist Sandra Gallego, decided to launch a media outlet to provide a forum for reflecting on these and other questions they were asking themselves.

Surrounded by an editorial board of academics, analysts and philosophers, they founded Ethic as "an ecosystem of knowledge for change," Blázquez explained. "We are heirs to an enlightened current, liberal in the broad sense, which advocates for the creation of diverse spaces for conversation, with a plurality of sensibilities."

The manifesto published on the outlet's website states: "In the era of polarisation, we defend pluralism and diversity without complexes." Ethic has received several awards, including the Spanish National Award for Journalism and Sustainable Development from the Doñana Foundation in 2012.

The outlet employs 10 people. It has a free-access website and a weekly newsletter that over 30,000 people receive. It also publishes a quarterly paper magazine, of which 15,000 copies are printed. Although most of them are distributed free of charge, 1,200 people decide to pay an annual subscription of 30 euros "as a way of supporting our project," Blázquez said. According to him, one challenge the organisation faces is strengthening the relationship with the community of readers.

Ethic's business model has evolved since its foundation, and today 70% of revenues come from Ethic Lab, a creative communications agency that helps companies develop and communicate their sustainability policies. Other revenues include website advertising (mainly branded content), and advertising and subscriptions to the quarterly printed magazine.