ABOUT ANN
THE SHORT STORY
Alameda Neighborhoods News (ANN) is a digital, interactive news publication based on the best journalistic practices of objectivity, accuracy, balance and service of the public good in its news and feature reporting.
ANN is a non-profit California-based Public Benefit Corporation that also enjoys Federal 501 C-3 standing,
ANN’s quest is to inform those in our community, within the bounds of established fact, about what they need or we think is important to know about this insular, and special community. The good, the bad and the hidden.
ANN’s base purpose is to become a public forum –or news oriented town square of sorts — that provides opportunity for community members to participate in content creation, as well as content consumption, according to ANN’s core quality and ethics standards.
Towards that end of spurring community participation, ANN offers any individual who lives here or elsewhere a free education in key Journalism practices. (some limits apply: see the Free Journalism Education Program page)
ANN’s success depends on enlisting the volunteerism of a number of conscientious, community engaged, responsible citizens who want to put in the time and effort to become local reporters and photojournalists in pursuit of promoting the public good.
The more folks we have participating as content contributors, the more frequent and timely we can be in our reporting.
ANN also has to provide sufficient quantity and quality of content to justify a readership/viewership of 3,000 or more subscribers at $3 per month to ‘pay the bills’ (business expenses, insurance and the like).
THE GENESIS OF ANN
Back in 2021, a local group of longtime Alameda residents bemoaned the growing lack of reliable and regular sources from which to get news on Alameda.
They pined for the old days, when Alameda was served by a daily newspaper, The Alameda Times Star, from 1952 through 2011, when it ‘folded’ due to market-driven economics and the withering effect of internet information on old school newspapers.
They lamented the paucity of places to go nowadays to get straight-up news about Alameda in the face of a growing need and hunger among the public to have a reliable, ‘go-to’ place just a click or two away.
Traditional print media coverage of Alameda news has become a weekly event and routine; in-depth reporting has diminished.
The Alameda Post is commendably on the right track, but the ‘founders’ saw a need for more myriad content and breaking news. They believe that more than one publication in town is a benefit and that a shared mission provides for healthy competition.
The group also wanted more than just blogs and social media style sources that do not often adhere to professional standards of journalism.
The cohort was weary of “chat chain” online platforms, replete with hearsay, rumor, and innuendo, much less the offensive, angry, hostile, demeaning content and agenda-driven spin that often populates such sites.
They sought to have more than ‘potato chip’ journalism.
So began a start-up attempt at creating a brand new reliable digital publication and began to do so, even as The Alameda Post emerged as a new and valuable online source of Alameda news and a step in the right direction.
When they consulted a 30-year veteran, award winning Journalism teacher and local freelance reporter for tips on how to build a newspaper, they quickly learned that creating the kind of news entity they envisioned “was way over our heads, ” to quote one of them.
The recently retired Journalism Advisor from Acalanes High School in Lafayette agreed to undertake the mission of creating ANN based on the principles and practices outlined below.
ANN will fill the gap as people yearn for current, ethics-based journalism but have nowhere else to turn to meet their needs and wants for news in their front yards and back yards.
This is our raison d’etre; why ANN must be.
OUR MISSION
To report to the community factually, accurately, objectively and thoroughly news of importance and interest to the community based on core principles of ethics based journalism.
This engenders transparency, acknowledging as well as holding people accountable for their actions, inactions or decisions that impact the community or are controversial , leaving behind personal biases, agendas or promotion of particular causes or philosophies.
Put figuratively: “Keep your politics off the page, and if you have an axe to grind, leave it at home in the garage.”
To promote ‘ power to truth’ in a day and age where misinformation, disinformation, gossip, rumor and innuendo run rampant in social media and elsewhere.
Avoid snarky, barbed, insulting, offensive, derisive and defamatory content of all types.
Identify what is news worthy, engage in preliminary background research, identify appropriate sources for the story, conduct first hand interviews, clearly focus on the key “what” of the story, build ‘storyline’ where possible based on key ‘human interest angles, and write the story in a clear, concise well structured way. Adhere to inverted pyramid structure when appropriate.
Consider if the story is better as a news story or feature story.
Show sensitivity for those individuals, usually ordinary people, who may be harmed by a story or a particular focus, especially in the case of juveniles, crime victims or the bereaved. This means balancing the public good and need to know (vs. mere desire to kow) against the integrity of the individual when it comes to deciding ‘to run or not to run’
To uplift and revitalize journalism in our schools through a developed, deep curriculum based enrichment program for existing journalism programs, for other related classes in the English, Social Studies, Media and Arts domains and to try and help schools create journalism programs and publications where they have none.
OUR VISION
To be “Alameda Centric” in the interest of bringing a closer, deeper sense of community, commonality, and diversity of views and perspectives that are a part of it.
To be a publication “Of Alamedans, By Alamedans and For Alamedans”
To provide a rich and frequently updated community ‘showcase’ of Alameda talent, community accomplishments, support systems with content submissions from those engaged in those endeavors. This may span from arts, to education, to health and well being, to recreation and more.
OUR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY FROM A JOURNALISTIC STANDPOINT
“ GOOD” NEWS DOES NOT HAVE TO ALWAYS BE “BAD” NEWS. In other words, it’s important to report news as well as bad news in order to provide quality (good) news.
Which translates into ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE, WHEN POSSIBLE! AND BRING TO LIGHT TO WHAT ISN’T ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM.
THE SHORT STORY
Alameda Neighborhoods News (ANN) is a digital, interactive news publication based on the best journalistic practices of objectivity, accuracy, balance and service of the public good in its news and feature reporting.
ANN is a non-profit California-based Public Benefit Corporation that also enjoys Federal 501 C-3 standing,
ANN’s quest is to inform those in our community, within the bounds of established fact, about what they need or we think is important to know about this insular, and special community. The good, the bad and the hidden.
ANN’s base purpose is to become a public forum –or news oriented town square of sorts — that provides opportunity for community members to participate in content creation, as well as content consumption, according to ANN’s core quality and ethics standards.
Towards that end of spurring community participation, ANN offers any individual who lives here or elsewhere a free education in key Journalism practices. (some limits apply: see the Free Journalism Education Program page)
ANN’s success depends on enlisting the volunteerism of a number of conscientious, community engaged, responsible citizens who want to put in the time and effort to become local reporters and photojournalists in pursuit of promoting the public good.
The more folks we have participating as content contributors, the more frequent and timely we can be in our reporting.
ANN also has to provide sufficient quantity and quality of content to justify a readership/viewership of 3,000 or more subscribers at $3 per month to ‘pay the bills’ (business expenses, insurance and the like).
THE GENESIS OF ANN
Back in 2021, a local group of longtime Alameda residents bemoaned the growing lack of reliable and regular sources from which to get news on Alameda.
They pined for the old days, when Alameda was served by a daily newspaper, The Alameda Times Star, from 1952 through 2011, when it ‘folded’ due to market-driven economics and the withering effect of internet information on old school newspapers.
They lamented the paucity of places to go nowadays to get straight-up news about Alameda in the face of a growing need and hunger among the public to have a reliable, ‘go-to’ place just a click or two away.
Traditional print media coverage of Alameda news has become a weekly event and routine; in-depth reporting has diminished.
The Alameda Post is commendably on the right track, but the ‘founders’ saw a need for more myriad content and breaking news. They believe that more than one publication in town is a benefit and that a shared mission provides for healthy competition.
The group also wanted more than just blogs and social media style sources that do not often adhere to professional standards of journalism.
The cohort was weary of “chat chain” online platforms, replete with hearsay, rumor, and innuendo, much less the offensive, angry, hostile, demeaning content and agenda-driven spin that often populates such sites.
They sought to have more than ‘potato chip’ journalism.
So began a start-up attempt at creating a brand new reliable digital publication and began to do so, even as The Alameda Post emerged as a new and valuable online source of Alameda news and a step in the right direction.
When they consulted a 30-year veteran, award winning Journalism teacher and local freelance reporter for tips on how to build a newspaper, they quickly learned that creating the kind of news entity they envisioned “was way over our heads, ” to quote one of them.
The recently retired Journalism Advisor from Acalanes High School in Lafayette agreed to undertake the mission of creating ANN based on the principles and practices outlined below.
ANN will fill the gap as people yearn for current, ethics-based journalism but have nowhere else to turn to meet their needs and wants for news in their front yards and back yards.
This is our raison d’etre; why ANN must be.
OUR MISSION
To report to the community factually, accurately, objectively and thoroughly news of importance and interest to the community based on core principles of ethics based journalism.
This engenders transparency, acknowledging as well as holding people accountable for their actions, inactions or decisions that impact the community or are controversial , leaving behind personal biases, agendas or promotion of particular causes or philosophies.
Put figuratively: “Keep your politics off the page, and if you have an axe to grind, leave it at home in the garage.”
To promote ‘ power to truth’ in a day and age where misinformation, disinformation, gossip, rumor and innuendo run rampant in social media and elsewhere.
Avoid snarky, barbed, insulting, offensive, derisive and defamatory content of all types.
Identify what is news worthy, engage in preliminary background research, identify appropriate sources for the story, conduct first hand interviews, clearly focus on the key “what” of the story, build ‘storyline’ where possible based on key ‘human interest angles, and write the story in a clear, concise well structured way. Adhere to inverted pyramid structure when appropriate.
Consider if the story is better as a news story or feature story.
Show sensitivity for those individuals, usually ordinary people, who may be harmed by a story or a particular focus, especially in the case of juveniles, crime victims or the bereaved. This means balancing the public good and need to know (vs. mere desire to kow) against the integrity of the individual when it comes to deciding ‘to run or not to run’
To uplift and revitalize journalism in our schools through a developed, deep curriculum based enrichment program for existing journalism programs, for other related classes in the English, Social Studies, Media and Arts domains and to try and help schools create journalism programs and publications where they have none.
OUR VISION
To be “Alameda Centric” in the interest of bringing a closer, deeper sense of community, commonality, and diversity of views and perspectives that are a part of it.
To be a publication “Of Alamedans, By Alamedans and For Alamedans”
To provide a rich and frequently updated community ‘showcase’ of Alameda talent, community accomplishments, support systems with content submissions from those engaged in those endeavors. This may span from arts, to education, to health and well being, to recreation and more.
OUR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY FROM A JOURNALISTIC STANDPOINT
“ GOOD” NEWS DOES NOT HAVE TO ALWAYS BE “BAD” NEWS. In other words, it’s important to report news as well as bad news in order to provide quality (good) news.
Which translates into ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE, WHEN POSSIBLE! AND BRING TO LIGHT TO WHAT ISN’T ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM.