Consistent Coverage of Local Democracy
CivicBeat offers an economically sustainable, journalism template for coverage of local government institutions by individuals or small teams.
Our design provides the entrepreneur(s) with a publishing tool that coordinates the back-end requirements of the business (IT, sales, marketing, operations) allowing a majority of effort to be focused on the primary task - providing the residents of any locale consistent information, insight and accountability of their local government institutions.
Two realities conspired to create CivicBeat. They are found, almost universally across America and contribute to the growing dysfunction of our democratic institutions. The first is a lack of oversight and accountability of our civic leaders. The second is the lack of involvement of citizen in the process of governing. Unique to a Democracy, citizen involvement is not only paramount it is necessary. The result when citizens are not involved - consistently and in an informed manner - are leaders who do not feel the need to be transparent or open to alternatives in the governing process. Annoying on the local level and catastrophic on the State and Federal stages.
CivicBeat is founded on the idea that citizens need information and understanding to participate in the governing process. Our civic leaders and the bureaucracies they manage are focused full-time on their efforts, ideally on behalf of the whole of their community. CivicBeat is the consistent local journalism that gives citizens the information and perspective to participate in their local democracies. Providing the expected counter balance from the citizenry that a democracy requires.
It has become cliche to point to what the "Founding Fathers" did over two hundred years ago when forming America. What is often overlooked though is what ordinary citizens did, each day from the mid 1600's often unknowingly, in preparation for the formation of this country.
What was that?
They governed themselves. They educated themselves on the issues, they debated their neighbors, they thought about alternatives and consequences. They made decisions and exercised accountability and the result was...the opportunity to create The United States Of America. All this has been well documented and none better than by Alexis Tocqueville in his book "Democracy In America" published in 1835 and 1840.
CivicBeat is not a return to our roots as we can never go back. It intends to be a local, journalistic re-invigoration of the civic engagement that sowed the seeds for what is still the most admired country on the globe. Come join us.
Our design provides the entrepreneur(s) with a publishing tool that coordinates the back-end requirements of the business (IT, sales, marketing, operations) allowing a majority of effort to be focused on the primary task - providing the residents of any locale consistent information, insight and accountability of their local government institutions.
Two realities conspired to create CivicBeat. They are found, almost universally across America and contribute to the growing dysfunction of our democratic institutions. The first is a lack of oversight and accountability of our civic leaders. The second is the lack of involvement of citizen in the process of governing. Unique to a Democracy, citizen involvement is not only paramount it is necessary. The result when citizens are not involved - consistently and in an informed manner - are leaders who do not feel the need to be transparent or open to alternatives in the governing process. Annoying on the local level and catastrophic on the State and Federal stages.
CivicBeat is founded on the idea that citizens need information and understanding to participate in the governing process. Our civic leaders and the bureaucracies they manage are focused full-time on their efforts, ideally on behalf of the whole of their community. CivicBeat is the consistent local journalism that gives citizens the information and perspective to participate in their local democracies. Providing the expected counter balance from the citizenry that a democracy requires.
It has become cliche to point to what the "Founding Fathers" did over two hundred years ago when forming America. What is often overlooked though is what ordinary citizens did, each day from the mid 1600's often unknowingly, in preparation for the formation of this country.
What was that?
They governed themselves. They educated themselves on the issues, they debated their neighbors, they thought about alternatives and consequences. They made decisions and exercised accountability and the result was...the opportunity to create The United States Of America. All this has been well documented and none better than by Alexis Tocqueville in his book "Democracy In America" published in 1835 and 1840.
CivicBeat is not a return to our roots as we can never go back. It intends to be a local, journalistic re-invigoration of the civic engagement that sowed the seeds for what is still the most admired country on the globe. Come join us.