Crosscut.com transitions to non-profit status

I've been working as part-time deputy editor for Crosscut.com, a Northwest news Web site, since February of this year after getting to know the excellent staff as a freelance contributor. This fall it became clear that Crosscut is best suited to the non-profit model, given our mission to promote public service journalism, especially as it is created by a diverse group of contributors, comprised both of professionals and "citizen journalists."

Unfortunately, the transition necessitates running the site for a time on less people-power than we've had. My fantastic editor-in-chief and mentor, Chuck Taylor, and the intrepid chief technology officer, Trevor Smith, have bowed out for now. I'll most likely continue helping out when I can, as will Yazmin Mehdi, business development director, and a slew of faithful volunteers. Crosscut founder and publisher David Brewster will continue to lead the way.

While the transition period is less than ideal for a staff that gelled so well, I'm jazzed and optimistic about Crosscut's future as a non-profit. Even though the publishing industry as a whole is continuously hemorrhaging, with newsroom reductions reported about every week, there's an exciting revolution happening online. The nature of news and who reports it is changing. Being part of that change has been satisfying for me, as we put work by seasoned pros like Knute Berger alongside writings by people you might know but not be accustomed to reading, as well as those new to you.

There are a few models for this non-profit journalism mash-up, from the obvious (NPR) to the staid (PBS) to the new and exciting (ProPublica, MinnPost). It's no magic bullet, especially now, when the ailing economy would seem to put a damper on giving (though that's not necessarily the case). But it could be the model that saves investigative journalism and provides a non-partisan platform for civic discussion. Selfishly, perhaps, I hope so.

Comments

[Trevor F. Smith]

Crosscut is dead! Long live Crosscut!

[Lisa Albers]

Thanks for the laugh, Trevor. I needed that.

[Benjamin Lukoff]

Viva Crosscut. I wish all of you the best and hope this transition is successful. Seattle, Washington, and the Pacific Northwest will be the poorer for it if it does not.

[Bryan Myrick]

I hope that Crosscut can survive through this transition and the harsh climate in media and publishing. I have not found another site offering its diversity of voice and opinion. Our region needs places like Crosscut, where journalism assumes a form more like a conversation over coffee with friends. It has the power to be an antidote to a polarized society.

[Kristin Kolb]

I used to edit/run Tidepool before it became Sightline Daily. I was heartened that Crosscut emerged as it is/was doing what Tidepool originally sought to do: be the PNW's daily newspaper. Sadly, Tidepool cut back severely, and didn't last independently. Now, Sightline Daily is a poor substitute, as it is really an institutional organ. The region needs a place for original reporting and commentary. I really hope Crosscut weathers this.