More than 2,000 communities across the country have lost their local newspaper over the past twenty years. When those papers – and the local journalists reporting for them – are gone, local residents lose their connection to local democracy, and small businesses lose access to their local customers.

We do this by reporting on the civic process and providing a forum to help readers participate in local decisions at a neighborhood, city and county level, especially for communities underrepresented in the civic process.

We are professional journalism organizations with an obligation to provide accurate, truthful and in-depth understanding of our community’s experiences at the neighborhood, city and county levels. We seek to be the must-read, primary online and print publication for intelligent, solutions-focussed journalism by reporting on critical news, holds political, business and community leaders accountable, and providing our readers with ways to connect to those decision makers in authentic and productive ways.