Welcome to the New Mexico Independent
It's a bright new day for journalism in New Mexico.
Two months after the newsroom keyboards grew quiet at one of the state's most pioneering newspapers, the New Mexico Independent aims to fill the void left by the disappearance of the Albuquerque Tribune to honor the proud tradition of aggressive but fair coverage with an emphasis on holding those in power accountable.
If you've made your way to this spot, that means you at least want to know a little more about what this corner of cyberspace is about.
The one-line answer: You'll get news, information and analysis delivered by talented, local journalists with a zeal for picking up where other news outlets leave off.
Here's what you can expect: a comprehensive focus on New Mexico's historic '08 election, land and water issues, including growth, as well as reporting on culture, poverty, the border and the labs, just to name a few subjects.
Updated regularly, this online venue will take full advantage of the multi-media tools the Internet offers. The content on the site will be produced by a team of award-winning New Mexico journalists, a mix of reporter/bloggers who've distinguished themselves at the state's major dailies and weeklies or by launching their own blogs or Web sites elsewhere. Or both.
To check out brief bios of our NewMexicoIndependent.com team, go here.
We'll hold ourselves to the highest journalistic standards. We sincerely hope our users will hold us accountable to that pledge, as we will do the same to the state's most powerful people and institutions. To register as a user, which will enable you to post comments on everything we post, go here.
The lofty mission of the New Mexico Independent, part of the non-profit Center for Independent Media's network of news Web sites, is to help rejuvenate high-quality journalism by fusing the very best of a vibrant but often dismissed blogosphere with the integrity of a journalism that isn't hostage to a failing business model. New Mexicans don't have to look far for a stinging example of that model: the Feb. 23 demise of the 86-year-old Albuquerque Tribune.
In a thoughtful, colorful review of the newspaper's glory days entitled "When Heart Isn't Enough" and published in this month's issue of the American Journalism Review, ex-Albuquerque Tribune reporter Tony Davis writes this about the end of the paper's impressive run:
The Trib's decline was the stuff of Greek tragedy, a paper that basked in the limelight of well over a dozen big national awards while circulation plummeted from 45,000 in 1985 to less than 10,000 at the end.
Davis, currently a reporter with the Arizona Daily Star, describes the Trib as a place "where writers spent as much time plotting crusades as they did pondering leads."
The New Mexico Independent aspires to a like-minded approach to news. Our main crusade: to offer an alternative, online source of information that's fair to all sides and, most of all, tells the truth. We hope you'll be a part of it.
Comments:
Posted 04/16/2008 15:35 with
Congratulations, New Mexico Independent!
Posted 04/16/2008 21:35 with
What an exciting new journalistic endeavor, good luck with it all!
Posted 04/17/2008 00:57 with
Good luck, ya’ll!
Posted 04/17/2008 05:30 with
Nice format, but a slightly larger font size would be nice.
Posted 04/17/2008 08:45 with
Good luck…design looks great. Go gettum. Monahan’s even given you a plug—worldwide fame can’t be far off…
Posted 04/17/2008 16:35 with
Wow! This is great. There is definitely room for quality journalism – online and offline. I’m thrilled to see you up and running. If there is anything I can do to help – please let me know. We at AIBA (Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, www.keepitquerque.org) are all about supporting independent businesses (and thinking). Good Luck! – Mary Schmidt, President, 2008 AIBA Board
Posted 04/17/2008 18:23 with
Much congrats to all involved. A great start…with even better to come!
Posted 04/18/2008 05:55 with
Great timing, good luck!
Posted 04/18/2008 06:16 with
Definitely needed in NM. Look forward to your columns. Congratulations!
Posted 04/18/2008 08:04 with
Sweet! As a Tribunista until the bitter end, I am thankful to see several bylines from staffers at the J and the Trib. You all rock. I am with the state now, Dept. of Game and Fish, but journalism will always have my heart. Rock on!
Posted 04/18/2008 08:27 with
Great to have the Independent to read in these troubled times. Good luck. We will be supporting you. stairesf
Posted 04/18/2008 08:55 with
This is pretty exciting. You’ve got (supposedly) deep pockets behind you and a pure agenda. You’re in a state where traditional reporting has often fallen short of the mark and there’s no shortage of targets. Lots of people will be hoping you screw up. I’ll be hoping you blow something out of the water early on to make your chops. Bless you guys.
Posted 04/18/2008 19:15 with
hjackson I am one of the subscribers to the Albuquerque Tribune who felt that a longtime friend had left. I hope another try by the press will fill in that position. Hoping it’s you. Best wishes to you and many hopes for your future.
Posted 04/18/2008 22:45 with
Good luck with the Independent! You can never have enough sources to get your news fix. : )
Posted 04/20/2008 11:57 with
Congratulations on your birth and first gurgles. How much we need you!
Arthur Alpert
Posted 04/20/2008 16:06 with
It was a sad day that first time that I came home from work and didn’t have a Tribune waiting for me. While I have tried to patch the hole left by the Tribune’s demise, I had not yet found a good source for local news. I hope that the Independent fills the remaining gaps.
Posted 04/20/2008 16:44 with
Looking forward to reading your posts everyday!
Posted 04/20/2008 18:28 with
Wow, real news, not just a trolling crime report like I find on all the other New Mexico news sites? Move this link to the top of my favorites! Congratulations; looking forward to seeing/reading what you have to offer.
Posted 04/20/2008 21:13 with
Thank you for filling this much needed gap after the fall of the Trib. I agree with oyegithamu that one can never have too many reliable sources.
Posted 04/21/2008 15:12 with
David and Trip have been great journalists. Wish you success giving us an independent look at news coverage.
Posted 04/23/2008 11:13 with
Great start and good luck to you all. And it’s time to let the world know: Joel Gay is a genius.
Posted 04/23/2008 18:04 with
I love it. I’ll be here everyday. Excellent idea!
Posted 04/23/2008 18:37 with
Maybe we can get some real news now. Thanks for putting this up. At first blush it doesn’t look like it will be a third rate social blog for loonies like the SFNM is.
You could shrink the page a bit. I am using a 1024×760 display and I have to scroll horizontally.
Posted 04/24/2008 08:53 with
David Alire Garcia, congratulations and thank you. Your committment, vision and passion for New Mexico shine. Your service to New Mexico, Democracy and the families of New Mexico are appreciated by this New Mexican, always. Bravo, to you and the team, whom created The New Mexico Independent. Its a fantastic idea and an organization, which will be around for many decades. I believe and know this, just as I know of your leadership, work ethic and intelligence. I’m very proud of you, your team and this endeavor to improve the lives of New Mexicans through independent news and Democracy. Thank you for providing me with a daily news source with integrity and independence. Mil gracias por todo. Que Viva The New Mexico Independent! Que Viva Nuevo Mexico!
Tu Compadre, Raul T. Candelaria
Posted 04/24/2008 16:09 with
A little yellow Zia symbol just to the left of your banner would look really good. Would brighten up the page a bit.
Posted 04/25/2008 10:50 with
Amid the dreary depredations of the corporate media, this is a most welcome development!
Good luck & god speed.
Posted 04/25/2008 10:51 with
Do you have a snailmail address? If so, would you post that on the website?
Posted 04/25/2008 19:21 with
I decided to jump onboard a once. I host a talk show on KVOT in Taos and thrive on sources of the unspun news.Three cheers for the NMI !!!
Check out some audio visual new from Taos at TaoiTV news, or google my name jean scott benson.
Cheers X 3
Posted 04/25/2008 20:16 with
I’m hooked! Thanks for great, insightful writing.
Posted 04/25/2008 23:47 with
I must say that I’m also having some problems with the margins. The problems I’m having is that the margins are too narrow when I read the articles and especially posting comments while on my PDA.
I’d also like to see a section for articles relevant to the Pueblos & Tribes, such as the different sections for Politics, the Environment, and Education.
Oyegi Thamu
Posted 04/26/2008 09:07 with
Please don’t have video/audio clips automatically play (like on the blog page). This happens automatically when using Safari 3.1 but not Firefox 2.x on Mac OS X 10.5.2. The USTREAM content starts without requesting and is very annoying. Otherwise I love the site and have added an RSS feed to my google home page.
Posted 04/29/2008 13:15 with
I too would like to see a section on the Pueblos & Tribes. Great work so far keep it up.
Posted 05/02/2008 08:52 with
Excellent format and excellent range of issues. Thanks.
Posted 05/03/2008 19:46 with
Yeah! Yeah! yeah! And you even have a former Tribber on staff. Go Joel. – Love Maggie
Posted 05/04/2008 20:48 with
Thank you!
Posted 05/06/2008 08:47 with
Real news is tough to come by these days and I was thrilled to hear of your endeavor during an interview on KUNM. Not only am I hoping that you will be successful, I’m praying for it too.
Posted 05/07/2008 07:06 with
Thanks for letting spirit, honor and inquiry back into the wasteland left by corporate news. I will be here interacting with you.
Thanks Thanks Thanks You bring hope.
Posted 05/13/2008 10:54 with
I’m 62 and my car is semi-permanently parked because of high gas prices. Since I’m driving much less(no choice) I’m posing much less risk for my auto insurance company policy which it is mandatory. Less risk should translate into less cost, either by rebates or rate adjustments by the company. For those wanting to apply for these price changes, the odometer already in all vehicles could be used to determine whether a vehicle qualifies. Wha’ d’ya think?