Voice of San Diego
Encyclopedia
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit news organization focused on issues affecting the San Diego region.
The organization's mission is to "To consistently deliver ground-breaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region. To increase civic participation by giving residents the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress."
The website focuses largely on local quality-of-life issues. It began primarily as a reporting source on local government and politics, and has slowly grown to include coverage of education, housing, environment, public safety, and science and technology. In addition to its news stories, it also publishes house editorials, fact-based columns, contributions from community members, and a stable of regular blogs. The site does not try to be a traditional newspaper; rather, it focuses on a specific number of issues and attempts to bring them great depth.
The site updates regularly throughout the day with news and analysis.
, the St. Louis Beacon
, and other similar endeavors being undertaken around the country. Voice of San Diegostaff members speak frequently on its model and the future of journalism.
In 2011, the magazine Fast Company named Voice of San Diego as the California innovation leader providing "bold ideas that promise to enrich our cities and economies" for its "United States of Innovation" section.
Voice of San Diegos staff has also garnered awards for its journalism.
Nationally, in 2007, the Society of Professional Journalists
awarded Voice of San Diegos Andrew Donohue its Sigma Delta Chi award for online investigative reporting for "Affordable No More," an article about a San Diego affordable housing agency. In 2008, Will Carless, Rob Davis and Donohue also won the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. award for investigations into conflicts of interest at the city of San Diego's redevelopment agencies. Also in 2008, Emily Alpert received an award from the Education Writers Association for an article about the track record of a charter school finance official, called "The School Guru Who Promised Rescue and Brought Ruin." The Online News Association recognized Alpert in 2010 for Online Topical Reporting/Blogging.
Staff writer Will Carless' three-part special report, "The Forbidden City" won the Best of Show award at the 2006 San Diego Press Club and 2007 San Diego Society of Professional Journalists awards. To compose the piece, Carless spent a week living inside a remote migrant camp.
In November 2008, New York Times media writer Richard Pérez-Peña profiled Voice of San Diego and more generally, the nonprofit journalism model. In the article, Pérez-Peña characterized news organizations like Voice of San Diego as "A new kind of Web-based news operation...offering a brand of serious, original reporting by professional journalists...Their news coverage and hard-digging investigative reporting stand out in an Internet landscape long dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, vitriol and citizen journalism posted by unpaid amateurs."
The organization's mission is to "To consistently deliver ground-breaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region. To increase civic participation by giving residents the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress."
History
Voice of San Diego is an online daily founded on Feb. 9, 2005 by Buzz Woolley and Neil Morgan, and run jointly by CEO Scott Lewis and editor Andrew Donohue. The website began in 2005 with a staff of four, and has expanded to a paid staff of 14. It relies on a funding mix of foundation grants, member donations and advertising.The website focuses largely on local quality-of-life issues. It began primarily as a reporting source on local government and politics, and has slowly grown to include coverage of education, housing, environment, public safety, and science and technology. In addition to its news stories, it also publishes house editorials, fact-based columns, contributions from community members, and a stable of regular blogs. The site does not try to be a traditional newspaper; rather, it focuses on a specific number of issues and attempts to bring them great depth.
The site updates regularly throughout the day with news and analysis.
Recognition
Voice of San Diego has been mentioned as a model to help journalism adapt to new technologies, reader behavior and changing business models. It has been used as a model for the MinnPost in Minneapolis, the Jacksonville ObserverJacksonville Observer
The Jacksonville Observer also known as JaxObserver.com is a news website in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, with a focus on conservative-leaning political commentary, sports, local news, and entertainment....
, the St. Louis Beacon
St. Louis Beacon
The St. Louis Beacon is an online-only news site in the greater St. Louis area. Several of the site's founders include former reporters and editors from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Funded largely by outside donations, the Beacon has 15 paid staffers and dozens of outside contributors.Beacon...
, and other similar endeavors being undertaken around the country. Voice of San Diegostaff members speak frequently on its model and the future of journalism.
In 2011, the magazine Fast Company named Voice of San Diego as the California innovation leader providing "bold ideas that promise to enrich our cities and economies" for its "United States of Innovation" section.
Voice of San Diegos staff has also garnered awards for its journalism.
Nationally, in 2007, the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
awarded Voice of San Diegos Andrew Donohue its Sigma Delta Chi award for online investigative reporting for "Affordable No More," an article about a San Diego affordable housing agency. In 2008, Will Carless, Rob Davis and Donohue also won the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. award for investigations into conflicts of interest at the city of San Diego's redevelopment agencies. Also in 2008, Emily Alpert received an award from the Education Writers Association for an article about the track record of a charter school finance official, called "The School Guru Who Promised Rescue and Brought Ruin." The Online News Association recognized Alpert in 2010 for Online Topical Reporting/Blogging.
Staff writer Will Carless' three-part special report, "The Forbidden City" won the Best of Show award at the 2006 San Diego Press Club and 2007 San Diego Society of Professional Journalists awards. To compose the piece, Carless spent a week living inside a remote migrant camp.
Media coverage
In February 2008, Voice of San Diego was profiled for Christian Science Monitor. The article called Voice of San Diegos coverage "earnest and serious," "a ray of hope for a troubled industry," and characterized it as taking "on the powerful with the panache of a scrappy big-city paper." The writer, Randy Dotinga, is now a contributor at Voice of San Diego.In November 2008, New York Times media writer Richard Pérez-Peña profiled Voice of San Diego and more generally, the nonprofit journalism model. In the article, Pérez-Peña characterized news organizations like Voice of San Diego as "A new kind of Web-based news operation...offering a brand of serious, original reporting by professional journalists...Their news coverage and hard-digging investigative reporting stand out in an Internet landscape long dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, vitriol and citizen journalism posted by unpaid amateurs."