Monday, March 16, 2009

What’s The Raleigh Public Record?

It claims to be a nonprofit provider of “independent news for the Raleigh community.”

Here’s more from its Web site - - -

The Raleigh Public Record is brand new and just getting up to speed. The idea is to create a non-profit journalism source to cover Raleigh. We are in organizing mode trying to put together a community to produce and support the site and the idea.

We are looking for people to cover city government and politics, crime, education, the environment, growth, development and all the other issues facing the many communities in Raleigh. We are also looking for programmers to help get a new website off the ground. Check out the Contact page to get in touch with the editor.

Also from its Web site this mission statement:

The Raleigh Public Record will provide non-profit community journalism for Raleigh, North Carolina. Through its website, RPR will deliver fair, trusted coverage of the issues affecting the neighborhoods in which we all live by using old-fashioned reporting and compelling writing, along with audio and visual mediums.

RPR will also serve as a laboratory to test the technological limits of the new media paradigm and help train a new generation of journalists.

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My Comments:

What will The Raleigh Public Record (RPR) become?

I have no idea.

Who’s behind it?

I don’t know.

But if RPR carries through with its mission statement pledge to “deliver fair, trusted coverage of the issues,” it will be welcomed by many in Raleigh and across North Carolina.

Take a look at RPR for yourself here.

Hat tip: Anon commenter at McClatchy Watch.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Forgive me for being a wet blanket, but in the 'About' page there is this graf:

"Obviously, there is no money involved until we can start raising it and applying for grants. I am in the beginning stages of figuring out how to get non-profit status and hope to have that long legal process done by next summer."

If this enterprise becomes government funded by any means, it will be nothing more than a government mouthpiece.

Such is the history of information distribution (news reporting) since the beginning of mankind.

Walter Abbott

Anonymous said...

There's a lot of grant money out there that appears to be private and independent, but it's too easy for manipulators of the Democrat stripe to gain control and direct funding towards "progressive" projects. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Tarheel Hawkeye

c. duncan pardo said...

Charles Duncan Pardo here, founding editor of the Raleigh Public Record. We're a new venture, the website officially launched on January 1 of this year. The idea behind the site is to fill the growing gaps in Raleigh news coverage. I firmly believe that Raleigh and its many diverse communities do not get their due from our hometown news organizations. The N&O is a great statewide paper, but the hardworking reporters on the city desk just don't have the resources to dig into what's happening in our town. WRAL does a pretty good job and I think NBC17 is doing some very cool things. But there are so many stories and communities in Raleigh that get missed or ignored. I hope to fill that gap with the Raleigh Public Record.

We've been doing a lot of back-end work recently, but we've got a number of new initiatives coming online in the next couple months, so stay tuned.

For the record, we will not be applying for federal or state grants. We do plan to apply for foundation funding in another year or so, but we hope to rely on private contributions and advertising. I think the timing worked out well with this thing because if we can get started and move towards sustainability during the current economic debacle, than I think we can be successful and meet our mission of community service for our fair city.

If you have any questions, comments, criticisms, anything, you can reach me directly by clicking on the Contact link at raleighpublicrecord.org.

Also, 101 Lounge on Blount Street downtown is hosting an art show to help us raise money during April's First Friday. I and some of our reporters and board members will be there to talk with folks and answer questions. We are having another event at 101 on April 16 at 7 p.m. This second event will be kind of a meet and greet and fundraiser. The board of directors will be there, as well as myself and a number of our volunteers. All donations will be tax deductible as of April 1.

This thing is really just getting started, so I encourage you to send in comments and come meet us next month. Your input is invaluable as we try to create a news source for our community.

Thank you,

C. Duncan Pardo

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Mr. Pardo. Could we see a 3-paragraph bio?

c. duncan pardo said...

Ask and ye shall receive... I'm in the midst of updating the About page, but there's a lot more information on their now.

http://www.raleighpublicrecord.org/?page_id=5