| Subject: FYI, Just got this today re: that new Texas Tribune pub |
| From: Karen Lancaster <lancaster.karen@gmail.com> |
| Date: 10/6/09, 11:28 |
| To: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> |
It all begins four weeks from today. On Tuesday,
November 3, The Texas Tribune's destination site (
http://www.texastribune.org/) goes live -- and the whole world gets to see the plans and schemes we've been hatching in secret. Actually, there's nothing mysterious or mischievous in play here. As we've said all along, we plan to achieve our mission (to promote engagement and discourse on matters of statewide interest) in two ways: by publishing ambitious, inventive, aggressively multi-platform public interest journalism, and by staging on-the-record, open-to-the-public events, from an annual ideas festival to a weekly conversation series featuring elected officials and other newsmakers. Trust me: We can't wait to get started.
I'm writing today to ask something of you. Nothing big, mind you, but very important as we race toward launch. We're committed to going out of the gate with 1,000 founding members ($50 to $4,999) and as many founding investors ($5,000 and up) as we can find, and we can use your help. Would you consider recruiting just two founding members or founding investors from your circle of friends and colleagues? Tell them that you believe in the value of great reporting on public policy, politics, and government at a time when
voter turnout and other measures of civic participation are at an historic low. Tell them that you support the creation of a new model to fund such work at a time when the economics of the for-profit media are challenged to say the least. Tell them that a nonpartisan approach to newsgathering is just what we need at a time when the echo chambers of the left and right are drowning out thoughtful, civil debate. Then send them here (
https://www.texastribune.org/donate/) to make a donation -- large or small, we'll be just tickled.
I plan to periodically update you on our progress, so expect to hear from me next in early November -- just after we're live. Hopefully we'll break some news and make some news; we'll surely be swinging for the fences.
Evan Smith_________
Evan Smith
CEO & Editor in Chief
The Texas Tribune
823 Congress Avenue
Suite 210
Austin, Texas 78701512/716-8610 (o)
512/716-8601 (f)
512/797-3009 (c)
esmith@texastribune.org
facebook.com/evan.smithtwitter.com/evanasmith