Update: New News For Clevelanders

For those interested in joining an incipient effort

This is my first “email only” only post—think of it as a bonus addendum to my last one—

Last Sunday, a group of about 10 of us met at Prosperity Social Club to talk about creating a new outlet for local news in Cleveland. The meeting came about after I wrote my last post, in which I offered to hold such a meeting, and felt that….well, I better do that then. So I created a Google Doc that say basically nothing other than “wanna talk about creating a new outlet for news?” shared it with some people, told them to share it with whomever, and over the course of the week a group of folks clicked open to the document, added their name to a list of people able to attend a meeting on Sunday, offered resources and a list of potential funders, shared links to interesting articles, and wrote notes about their interest despite not being able to attend. It was lovely, low-key sort of organizing, with little heavy lifting required of anyone.

Then on Sunday, wonderfully, a dozen or so folks showed up. Some knew each other; many did not. And we talked.

Around the square table were a few business owners, a few journalists, a few organizers, a few non-profit types. We discussed what sort of publication we would want (in the public interest, keyed in, if not focused upon, the east side (non-Clevelanders, “east” and “west” are codes for “black” and “white” round these parts)), the importance of bringing young folks in from the jump, the importance of allowing experienced journos to just do their thing, and not worry about also mentoring, the importance of being accessible to those without any or only slow internet, the possibility of baking in text messaging, the need for people in town to be able to speak out on important issues without fearing repercussion, the perennial pernicious problem of funding, the opportune moment we are currently in re: non-profit funding for local journalism, the need for revenue (ugh), the possibility of subscriptions or even taxes as income, the danger of overlying on foundation funding, the problem of sustainability, the inspiring model of City Bureau and the Documenters program, the overarching craving to be able to speak truth to power with impunity.

At the end, one person summed up the theme of the evening as a desire to create a new outlet that would help “restore democracy.” Talk about inspiring.

I would not call what happened last Sunday ‘getting the ball rolling.” But we did start to mold what might become a ball, and I can envision how the good people there, and those who wanted to be there, and those who don’t know anything about the meeting or the document leading to it but will soon, and be engaged, might figure out how to roll said ball down the right hill (or track? or slide? this metaphor may be ill-conceived). And if nothing else happens—and nothing else might!— it is always good to get off the couch and sit around a table to meet new people, reconnect with people you have worked with before, hear what others are thinking and feeling and get a serotonin rush off a felt sense of possibility.

For now the Google Doc is open to all, so open it up, add to it, and share if/as you see fit. We have also just started a FB group, as those little red notifications help keep topics on people’s minds, so if you would like to be part of that, find me on FB and I will add you.

And I’ll be back to ‘real’ CLEchronicling shortly, more tales of thrifting, updates on the crocuses on Brayton Avenue, and other thoughts about 2019 life in the 216.

Cleveland Chronicles is a record of life in Cleveland throughout 2019 as filtered through the lens of the chronicler. Subscribe to support the project or read previous posts.