What is BRIGHT Magazine?
BRIGHT Magazine tells fresh stories about the world’s biggest problems for the people who want to change them. We’re a digital magazine based in Nairobi, Kenya that tells creative, solutions-oriented stories about issues like health, education, gender, and poverty.
Well-told stories aren’t just nice. Damaging stereotypes can reduce people to clichés and influence policy outcomes, investments, and even military intervention. The topics we cover—health, education, gender, poverty—deserve to be told right. Narratives deserve to be changed.
We publish three pieces a week in our digital magazine, distribute a weekly curated newsletter, and run conversations on social media.
What is BRIGHT's editorial philosophy?
Here are the five storytelling principles that guide our work:
SOLUTIONS-ORIENTED - Many of our feature stories use the solutions journalism lens: rigorous reporting about responses to social problems.
CREATIVITY - Not all great stories are told as 1500-word features. We use a range of multimedia formats, like comics, photo essays, and infographics.
DIVERSITY - We feature contributors who represent a mix of demographics—gender, race, geography, age, socio-economic status.
JARGON-FREE - We do not use unnecessary jargon and believe strongly in making social issues approachable for all curious audiences.
PROVOCATION - We love running pieces that are deliberately provocative, sparking conversations rooted in serious debates.
Who does BRIGHT Magazine reach?
BRIGHT Magazine reaches up to 100,000 readers a month.
Most of our readers work in social good in some way—in multilateral organizations, social enterprises, and impact investing. We also reach many students who will soon enter careers in this space.
The bulk of our readers are young, between the ages of 18-34. Geographically, the U.S. comprises 40% of our current audience (the next 22% is split between India, Canada, and U.K.)
Why does BRIGHT care about ethical travel?
“Ethical travel” is now a thriving industry, with hundreds of options for travelers looking to do good on the road. But does it do as much good as it says it does? Can it be harmful? What are “ethical travelers” really looking for? What effect does voluntourism have on host communities? And most importantly, when we do travel, what are the most ethical ways to do it?
We know that many of you love traveling the world, and want to do so in a thoughtful and useful way. But we’ve seen so many people “do good” in ways that end up doing harm, like traveling to Indonesia after a tsunami with suitcases filled with teddy bears—only to find warehouses full of unused stuffed animals. Good intentions don’t always translate to good deeds.
We’re excited to produce the book “Tread Brightly,” which we hope will change the way you explore the world.
The book will be designed to be the perfect gift–whether to a graduating high school or college student, to a young professional who’s been itching to get out of their cubicle, or to a recent retiree who wants to explore the world.
