The Bay Citizen is Warren Hellman's newest investment in the Bay Area. He started it in the hope of getting some local reporting in town and around the bay. I have spent some time with his new education reporter (who knows nothing and shows it). As I understand it, they will start as a blog and then hope to go to a print version sometime in the distant future. 
Hellman is remarkable. I finally went to the Toe-to-Toe competition between ODC dancers and Cal athletes. It was last month at Fort Mason.
Just shows what you can do when you have too much money, some sense of social responsibility, and a sense of humor.


D





-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Reineccius <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 10:56 am
Subject: News opportunity for culture/literature workers, groups


This is something I just sent to local arts non-profits, about a new news & 
culture/community "publication" growing out of UC Berkeley Grad School.
There's a Twain connection of sorts, and it's launched just in time to cover the 
ALA Conference. Hope they will!

==================
History Lesson and New News:

The
San Francisco Chronicle was begun on January 16, 1865, by the brothers
de Young. They financed it with a loaned* $20 gold piece, and began
publishing it as a live theatre program with tomorrow's news, calling
it The New Dramatic Chronicle. Soon after, they had the good sense to
hire as their arts reporter the young Sam Clemens, who'd been fired by
The San Francisco Call daily, over his story of the SF Police racism
toward Chinese residents. The Chron gave him byline privileges, which he'd not 
had at The Call. He wrote under the name Mark Twain, mostly.

The BayCitizen looks kind of promising, with Culture as its middle name. 
Berkeley's
 Journalism school incubated BayCitizen.




  
  
    
        
        

            
            
              
                


              
              
                
                    
                       
                        
                      

  
    
        
      


      


Dear Richard,








The Bay Citizen's launch is just two days away, and we can't wait!  Some 
exciting things have happened over the last few weeks:


We now have fourteen journalists in our newsroom, including twelve full-time 
journalists and two paid  summer interns from the UC Berkeley Journalism 
School;Our reporters are busy producing stories on topics including the 
environment and land use, health and science, education, arts and culture, and 
more;We've started hosting partner meetings to explore collaborations
 with local independent media organizations, bloggers, and writers;And, we 
recently moved into our new office at 126 Post Street in San Francisco



Become part of Bay Area history








You still have time.  Until midnight on Wednesday, you can become a Founder of 
The Bay Citizen
by donating $50 or more.  As a Founder, your name will be permanently
listed on our website and you'll also receive two tickets to our launch party
this Wednesday evening at the Great American Music Hall, where you'll
get the chance to meet hundreds of other founding members. 








Become a Founder now!

============ ========= ========= =========

*
Haven't found whether the loan was ever repaid. The de Youngs soon
changed from a theatrical playbill by dropping the words "New
Dramatic", and I've read they did not honor their promise of a full
time contract. He went to the Sacramento Union for a grant to go on the
cruise to the Holy Land and nearby places, returning to SF to write
"The Innocents Abroad" -- but had to find a publisher on the East Coast.

-Richard.