Testimonial taz cooperative: A bridge for exchange

Impression of the last taz cooperative meeting, snapshots of the visitors © Alexander Viktorin

Newspaper with attitude

taz (the daily newspaper) is not just a newspaper, but a movement that has always stood for journalism with attitude and ideas. But above all: for independence. In the hands of more than 23,000 owners, taz has a unique position in the German media landscape. These owners form the taz cooperative, an association of people with a common goal: to ensure press diversity and independence through economic support for taz.

Panel discussion on "Crisis, body, class - what moves the next taz generation" with Katrin Gottschalk, Natalya Nepomnyashcha, Tarek Tesfu and Valentin Melzer

The idea of a newspaper that does not have to be neutral, but actively contributes to the formation of opinion, has made taz an influential voice. This attitude is also reflected in the way the cooperative works. Every member has a vote, regardless of the level of financial participation. It is about idealistic support, not monetary benefits. "The members' contributions are not there to cover the running costs of the taz publishing house. The cooperative capital is used specifically to promote the development of taz," says the cooperative's FAQ. A community project par excellence.

Team picture of the taz cooperative © Sonja Trabandt

The heart is the community

The heart of the taz cooperative is its community. And now the introduction of coapp has created new networking opportunities for this community. Lana Wittig, the cooperative's managing director, emphasizes the importance of this new technical solution: "With over 23,000 members, the taz cooperative is one of the largest media cooperatives in Europe. For me, there was untapped potential, because these 23,000 people are united by at least a similar set of values, but probably much more. Our idea was therefore to open up a protected exchange space for our members where they could connect. coapp offered us a really good technical solution that we wouldn't have been able to set up so quickly ourselves."

The managing director of the taz cooperative Lana Wittig © Maximilian König

The vision for tomorrow

The feedback on the launch of the app was overwhelmingly positive. Over 1,700 members joined the new community platform within a very short space of time. The average age of members is around 60, which shows that this target group is by no means digital natives. Nevertheless, the comrades were enthusiastic about the professionalism and added value that coapp offers.

But the app is just the beginning. The taz cooperative has a visionary agenda for its community. Lana Wittig explains: "We want to bridge the gap between digital exchange and coming together in real life. That's why we're also organizing events throughout Germany in 2024. Our vision is to become a cooperative that is more than just the entrepreneurial foundation for taz. We want to create connections that generate movement and positive change for the world."

The taz cooperative is once again demonstrating that it is not just a newspaper, but a force for change. With the introduction of coapp and its visionary agenda for the future, the cooperative is setting new standards for community and engagement in the media landscape. The app's flexibility is a major advantage: "Building and expanding our community is a key task for the taz cooperative if we are to remain successful in the future," says Lana Witting. "coapp gives us the opportunity to provide our community with communication, feedback and dialog on our own GDPR-compliant platform. And it's all super fast, flexible and uncomplicated - perfect."

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