Publisher’s Note

By David S. Bennahum
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 9:58 am

As we gear up for a new year, the Center for Independent Media is reorganizing in order to better fulfill our mission of impacting public debate and advancing the common good through quality journalism.

We are streamlining operations with a more centralized editorial system to support the entire news network as it grows, with more full-time writers and fewer part-time writers. Our reorganization will allow us to deepen and strengthen coverage in the states we serve and lay the foundation for expansion to new states in 2009 and beyond.

We are grateful to those talented and creative people who have helped us reach our goals thus far, and we look forward to continuing our history of excellence in journalism as we grow to meet the demands of the future.

David S. Bennahum is President & CEO of the Center for Independent Media, which publishes the Minnesota Independent.

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Comments

7 Comments

TJSwift
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 10:53 am

“We are streamlining operations with a more centralized editorial system to support the entire news network as it grows,”

So does this mean that the “Independent” sites will now be receiving their content directly from Soros’ desk instead of being filtered through the Democrat headquarters first?


haloka
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 11:30 am

Centralization and “independent” media cannot coexist. The MN Independent’s best strength was its part-time writers (who were brilliant at investigating both the political left and right not from a fuzzy centrist, but a truth-seeking perspective). Hopefully they will continue to be writing more elsewhere as I continue to visit the Independent less and less.

The only honorable thing for Mr. Bennahum to do in the service of independent media would be to resign and turn control of the sites over to the writers and readers themselves. He doesn’t deserve such a job. Please go find a corporate outlet to work for and start being honest about where you stand.


Publiuuus
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 11:33 am

No, unlike the Fox News model that just reprints GOP talking points emails, it means that the “Independent” sites will now be receiving their content directly from Soros’ desk instead of being gathered by earnest, capable, independent journalists.

I’m sorry, but as a loyal reader, I feel betrayed by the timing of this. As the quality and volume of MinnIndy stories goes down, readers will find their content elsewhere. But it turns out that that’s not really the goal of CIM, now, is it?

Big, fat wasted opportunity CIM.

Adios.


p0wn!d
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 12:30 pm

MN Inde is p0wned, end of a short-lived few months :(


George Orwell
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 1:05 pm

“with more full-time writers and fewer part-time writers”

Translation: Less is more.

“We are grateful to those talented and creative people who have helped us reach our goals thus far”

Translation: We’re so grateful to those who got us here that we’ve eliminated their budget.

“and we look forward to continuing our history of excellence in journalism as we grow to meet the demands of the future.”

Translation: Less is more.

A mainstream newspaper publisher couldn’t have said it better.


Publiuuus
Comment posted November 13, 2008 @ 3:39 pm

CIM should sell MinnIndy to someone who actually believes in independent journalism, and then they can get on with turning their other “independents” into Fox-News-for-partisan-Democrats.

Check out the site statistics for MinnIndy and MinnPost in the last few months:
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/minnpost.com+minnesotaindependent.com/?metric=uv

Obviously, CIM has no business sense.

GIVE STEVE PERRY A BUDGET. LET HIM CONTINUE TO WORK WITH INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS. GROW MINNINDY YOU MORONS, DON’T KILL IT.

David S. Bennahum…you should go work for Target.


beryl k gullsgate
Comment posted November 14, 2008 @ 6:50 am

“We are stramlining the news with a more centralized editorial system.”

All I can say is… this is no small tragedy for this alternative news source (and a fine bit of reporting they have done, indeed) to “streamline” and
my god,…”centralize”?

So now you will be offering ‘news’ as a controlled substance?

None said it better than the king of muckrakers himself, George Seldes…”Dumb censor, dumb censor!”


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