CivicBeat.com offers an economically sustainable journalistic business model for the coverage of the institutions and issues that are a vibrant, local community.

• Consistent coverage (hence the moniker “beat”) of the local, civic institutions that are the bedrock of our democratic processes.
•  Reporting on the economies and humanities that form the livelihoods, challenges and passions of all who make up each community.

To create efficient, sustainable communities citizens must take an active role.  To do so, they must be consistently and simply informed about the functions of their local government institutions, the economic relationships within their locales and the interests each pursue when free to do so.

Institutions function efficiently and in a sustainable manner when there is a consistent feedback loop between all stakeholders. CivicBeat.com is a tool for local citizenry to stay informed and involved in their civic processes, managing them in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Nobody plays a game if they don’t know the rules, doing so only leads to embarrassment. Today’s civic apathy and cynicism are often masks used by citizens to cover their lack of knowledge and understanding of their local civic processes.
The local CivicBeat.com fills that void between the residents, the primary stakeholders in a community, and its public and private institutions with the illumination of information. This bright, consistent light of accountability journalism enables citizens from all local constituencies and neighborhoods to regain the management of their community and accountability of their civil servants in an informed and constructive manner – for the benefit of all, now and in the future.

Gutting of many local journalistic businesses left a void in the information available for community resident to maintain and increase an understanding of their local governments and processes. This information deficiency creates knowledge gaps that limit the informed, constructive participation in the local government processes of priority setting, policy creation, revenue collection and disbursement.

Imagine running your own household without any information regarding your personal situation – where you live, where you work, who lives with you, how much it costs to maintain your situation and future needs. If it would seem impossible for us personally how did we come to accept the same for our larger home, the local communities in which we live?


CivicBeat.com’s business model of locally owned and operated accountability journalism sites offer tools for citizens to become informed and participate in their own communities.