Media & Journalism Due Diligence Checklist

Evaluate media companies systematically through comprehensive due diligence investigation and analysis. This prompt helps you develop checklists for investigating publications before acquisition or investment, covering financial metrics, content quality, audience strength, and operational excellence. The framework addresses unique due diligence factors in media: assessing editorial credibility and audience trust beyond audience metrics, evaluating digital revenue models that are often unproven, understanding staff costs and turnover risks, and identifying hidden liabilities around inaccuracy or regulatory compliance. It produces detailed checklists covering financial, operational, legal, and editorial dimensions with specific follow-up questions. Includes examples of red flags from failed media acquisitions—unsustainable cost structures, editorial quality deterioration, rapid staff turnover—that systematic due diligence would have surfaced earlier. The template helps you weight different due diligence findings appropriately in deal valuation and risk assessment. Covers how to validate financial projections and assess management quality. Rigorous due diligence protects your investment and helps you avoid acquiring publications with hidden problems that destroy value.