About Us

The New Mexico Independent

Local news in context

The New Mexico Independent is a fleet-footed webpaper of politics and policy. We are the ink-stained wretches of the digital era. We aim for snap-crackle-pop reporting in our articles and blog posts – all working together to tell a bigger story. We provide thought-provoking commentary from insightful experts. We write to record scenes from the passing show, to stir things up and to keep those in power honest. We seek to explore and define the Land of Enchantment and the context for our times.

The New Mexico Independent belongs to a network of state-based online news sites founded by the Center for Independent Media.

The Center for Independent Media

The Center’s Mission

The Center for Independent Media is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization that fosters diversity of ideas in the national debate by educating and training people on the use of new communications technologies like the Internet as an alternative publishing and distribution system to traditional broadcast and print media. The center brings talented and diverse voices and ideas to the fore of our nation’s discourse, through its training programs, conferences, research and publishing operations. Programs emphasize the importance of citizen-driven journalism as a critical founding principle of our nation, the positive role of democratically elected government in securing the common good and social welfare, and the continuing benefits of our founding culture of egalitarian government by the people, for the people.

History

The Center for Independent Media was founded on May 1, 2006, as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. The center created the New Journalist Pilot Program to test the hypothesis that a melding of blog technology with the standards of professional journalism could produce original news and information, which in turn would contribute to diversifying public debate around issues of importance.

The New Journalist Pilot Program resulted in the creation of two online news sites; Colorado Confidential and Minnesota Monitor. Seventeen people participated in the program as Fellows or Senior Fellows. Based on the successful performance of the New Journalist Pilot Program, a decision was made to expand operations and increase the number of programs. In May 2007, the CIM launched its third program, Iowa Independent. In September 2007, the center launched its fourth program, Michigan Messenger.

Readership

In 2007, 2.7 million people viewed our sites. Our Fellows’ stories were cited in newspapers 284 times, reaching millions of readers in local communities through their local media. Our Fellows went on TV and radio 178 times, reaching millions through broadcast media with important messages on the key issues in their states, such as immigration, education, health care, national security, civil rights and liberties, and state budgetary priorities. All told, our Fellows generated 84 million impressions on TV, radio, and newspapers, up from 45 million last year.