SF Public Press is a startup nonprofit news organization that aims to strengthen reporting on general-interest and under-covered topics in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its long-range goal is to create a sustainable noncommercial business model -- on the Web and in print -- for delivering quality local journalism to diverse audiences inadequately served by the commercial press.
More than 50 people are currently working on various aspects of the project, including 15 reporters, five photographers and four editors. Most are volunteer but increasingly we've been able to pay freelance and contract rates through partnerships and Spot.us campaigns.
Founded in 2007, The Public Press plans to grow in phases, first by publishing local news through multiplatform digital media, and later by gradually expanding its reach with a print edition. Taking inspiration from the audience-supported public broadcasting model, The Public Press will operate without paid advertising. It will instead sustain itself economically through memberships, paper sales and philanthropic support.
In the summer of 2009, the Public Press successfully raised $5,000 through Spot.us to publish more than 30 stories in text and video examining the politics and public policy decisions around the $438 million budget deficit that San Francisco had to close. The City Budget Watchdog project broke several stories, including a steep increase in overtime pay at the fire department and the dubious practice at the Board of Supervisors of targeting favorite social service contractors for "add-back" funds.
Last year, in collaboration with Newsdesk.org, The Public Press raised $2,500 using the beta version of Spot.us to produce a 12-part series of articles scrutinizing the claims and counter-claims of pre-election advertising regarding the ballot propositions in San Francisco.
You can reach us at info [~AT~] public-press.org
Website http://www.sfpublicpress.org Address 1254 Mission St., San Francisco CA 94117 United States Phone 415-846-3983
