West Marin Citizen
 |
|
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | West Marin Citizen |
| Publisher | Linda Petersen |
| Editor | Linda Petersen |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters |
60 4th Street, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 United States |
| Official website | westmarincitizen.com |
The West Marin Citizen is a weekly newspaper based in Point Reyes Station, California, that covers the western region of Marin County. After a pilot edition, the paper published its first issue on July 5, 2007.[1]
Joel Hack launched the Citizen in reaction to a change of ownership at the Point Reyes Light, a long-established, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper also based in Point Reyes Station. The change in regime had led to a different editorial tone, reliance on interns, as well as staff firings and defections. Hack characterized the Citizen as practicing "community service journalism".[2] Former Light managing editor Jim Kravets was the paper's first editor.
Writing in the Columbia Journalism Review, Jonathan Rowe called the Citizen the "Light’s journalistic opposite—heavy on straight news and local opinion, and choc-a-bloc with meeting reports and other miscellany".[3] Contributors have included members of the local Latino Photography Project, whose work ran as an ongoing series called "La Vida".[4] In August 2008, the Citizen won six awards from the National Newspaper Association based on the paper's first six months of reporting.[5][6]
In mid-2008, a group of residents formed a limited liability company with the intent of merging the Light and Citizen to create a single community-owned newspaper, but by the end of the year, could not come to terms with the Light's publisher on a price or the terms of the proposed buyout. The group, reconstituted as the Marin Media Alliance, focused its effort towards community ownership solely on the Citizen.[5][7][8][9] The effort was not successful.
In October 2010, Hack retired as editor and publisher, turning the paper over to advertising director Linda Petersen.[10]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ "West Marin Citizen website". http://www.westmarincitizen.com/. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "Nothing laid-back about paper's readers" by Peter Fimrite,San Francisco Chronicle, June 9, 2007, retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "Rowe, Jonathan (Jan./Feb. 2008). "The Language of Strangers". Columbia Journalism Review. http://www.cjr.org/feature/the_language_of_strangers.php. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ Ashley, Beth (December 12, 2008). "West Marin Latinas find confidence, joy photographing people in community". Marin Independent Journal. http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_11346785. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ a b Hack, Joel (January 8, 2008). "Looking ahead: counting the steps along the path". West Marin Citizen website. http://www.westmarincitizen.com/page7.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-11.[dead link]
- ^ "2008 Better Newspaper Contest Winners". National Newspaper Association. http://www.nna.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=bncwinnera2008123. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ Plotkin, Robert (January 15, 2009). "Lys takes on the Light". Point Reyes Light. pp. p4. http://www.ptreyeslight.com/editorial.shtml. Retrieved 2009-01-17.[dead link]
- ^ Fradkin, Philip; Steve Costa, Kirk Marckwald (March 5, 2009). "Introducing: Your community-owned newspaper". West Marin Citizen: p. 2. http://www.westmarincitizen.com/page11.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-17.[dead link]
- ^ Rogers, Bob (March 8, 2009). "In wake of newspaper war, West Marin residents seek local control". Marin Independent Journal. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_11864393?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ Liberatore, Paul (October 31, 2011). "Founder of the West Marin Citizen retires". Marin Independent Journal. http://www.marinij.com/business/ci_19218480. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
