We launch Daily Maverick Connect — a new era of community for our award-winning membership model

Daily Maverick announced the launch of Daily Maverick Connect on 28 August 2025, an innovative new community platform for its Maverick Insider members. 

Built to answer the frustrations of modern social media, Daily Maverick Connect delivers what members have been asking for: meaningful connections, reliable information and a space free from toxicity.

In a recent survey of Maverick Insiders:

• 84% said they value reliable news above all else in online communities;
• 54% want a space free from trolling and toxicity; and
• 73% said their biggest frustration is irrelevant or low-quality content.

Daily Maverick Connect is our answer to all three needs.

Evolution of an award-winning membership

Maverick Insider is not just another paywall workaround. Since its launch in 2018, it has grown into a 32,000-strong movement of readers who believe in funding independent journalism for the public good. It’s a model that has won international awards, been recognised as one of the most innovative membership programmes in the world and has inspired newsrooms globally.

Insiders don’t just fund Daily Maverick’s journalism; they shape it. They’ve donated time, expertise, even office space. They’ve given constant feedback on new products and initiatives. Their support has enabled Daily Maverick to produce nation-changing investigations, win international journalism awards and continue holding power to account while keeping quality journalism free for all.

Now, with Daily Maverick Connect, the programme takes a bold next step: giving Insiders a community platform that is as valuable to them as they have been to the mission of quality, independent journalism.

What Daily Maverick Connect offers

Unlike the noisy, bot-infested social media platforms, Daily Maverick Connect is a private, curated space where Insiders can:

• Promote their businesses or professional expertise in the network hub;
• Find collaborators, mentors or industry peers;
• Rally support for social causes and community projects;
• Meet Insiders with similar interests, passions and hobbies; and
• Speak directly to Daily Maverick journalists, sharing tip-offs or story ideas.

It’s a platform built for connection, collaboration and impact, and it exists only because of the Insider community.

“When we launched Maverick Insider, we promised members a community. Today, we’re proud to finally deliver it in a way that’s as ambitious as our journalism,” said Jillian Green, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Maverick. “Maverick Insider has become a benchmark for membership models worldwide. Daily Maverick Connect is the next frontier: a platform where our readers can unlock the same value from each other as they’ve given to the cause of independent journalism.”

Not just another platform

Daily Maverick Connect is not social media as you know it. There are no bots, no algorithmic noise and no trolls. Just real people, united by a shared commitment to truth, accountability and progress.

The impact Maverick Insiders have had on Daily Maverick is undeniable. With Daily Maverick Connect, the impact this community can have on each other and on South Africa is just beginning.

Daily Maverick Connect is live today, exclusively for Maverick Insiders.

Want to be part of this?

While Daily Maverick Connect is exclusive to Maverick Insiders, anyone can join the cause. By becoming an Insider, you’ll support independent journalism, keep news free for those who can’t pay and unlock access to this groundbreaking community platform. Membership starts from as little as R75 per month. DM

For media inquiries, please contact Saskia Falken at: saskia@dailymaverick.co.za

About Daily Maverick

Founded in 2009, Daily Maverick is an independent national news and investigative journalism publisher. 

Daily Maverick covers pressing issues across politics, business and the environment, providing in-depth reporting and insightful commentary on the topics affecting the lives of South Africans. 

Daily Maverick is one of South Africa’s largest publishers and is available online and in a weekly print edition, DM168. 

Its voluntary membership community programme is designed to keep journalism free for all, and it has a community of civic-minded readers who participate actively through contributions to ensure this access continues for all. 

Founders: Branko Brkic, founding Editor-in-Chief, and Styli Charalambous, CEO.