The chamber and its members have committed $50,000 to the project, as reported by the Boston Business Journal.
A white paper accompanying the release details the decline in local news and Tim Murray, the chamber’s president and CEO, has voiced his concern over corporate cutbacks at the Telegram & Gazette.
Murray says the Worcester Guardian has applied for membership in the Institute for Nonprofit News, following the lead of other successful nonprofits such as the New Bedford Light.
An independent board of directors and a community advisory board will be established for the new 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which will create its own policies and procedures, according to Murray. For now, he says, the Worcester Guardian will follow those adopted by the INN and NBL.
Simultaneously, journalists will be brought on board – a callout for freelancers was posted to the Worcester Guardian’s website and social media accounts last week.
A full-time editor is expected to be hired in the coming days.
Understandably, some have called the chamber’s interest in nonprofit media an unusual partnership. Others have questioned its motivation.
The chamber has a very clear agenda – promote the interests of Worcester’s business community. It also has a history of spinning off very successful stand-alone entities – the United Way of Central Massachusetts, Worcester Business Development Corporation and Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives to name a few.
Murray says the chamber is also working to stand up the Worcester Regional Food Hub over the next two years.
In the meantime, Murray stresses he and others at the chamber will not be assigning, writing or editing stories for the Worcester Guardian. Rather, he says, that will be left up to the journalists.
Still, there will be skeptics. And there should be – for the same reasons why skeptics believe John Henry tells Boston Globe sports reporters what to write and Alex Cora how to fill out the lineup card. Henry owns the Globe and Red Sox.
News and opinion should be clearly identified in journalism. The following is my opinion…
I believe free, nonprofit, independent news could provide a dynamic new platform to tell the Central Massachusetts story and report on important issues impacting Worcester and the region.
I believe mistakes will be made and lessons will be learned along the way.
I believe nonprofit, for-profit and independent journalism can co-exist. I believe blogs and social media also provide a forum for healthy discourse.
And I believe Murray when he says he will allow the Guardian to tell the story of Worcester independent of the chamber.
The community will be watching.
Every November, the City Council sets residential and commercial tax rates. No doubt, the chamber will advocate on behalf of the local business community, while others will stand up for the homeowners, renters and those on fixed incomes.
The Worcester Guardian must tell both sides of that story.
“That’s what should happen,” Murray says. “That’s what good reporters do.”
If the Worcester Guardian is successful – if it establishes its independence and the community supports nonprofit journalism – there will be more reporters in Worcester.
And more reporters and more journalism in New England’s second-largest city is a good thing.
-Dave Nordman, consultant to the Worcester Guardian
