IssueSource

Notes from Craig Sandler about IssueSource.org

My project (our project) is called IssueSource, and it's a joint effort of the State House News Service (my shop) and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth. Effectively, we compile and post continually-updated chronologies of issues in the news of Massachusetts state government news and politics.

The problem IssueSource seeks to solve is that most policy news to which average viewers and readers are exposed isn't too well backgrounded. IssueSource serves as a standing resource for consumers who want thoughtfully-produced information to enhance their understanding of what they're reading and seeing. The site is also intended as a resource for journalists, academicians, policy people and students.

People who use it love and keep coming back. The biggest challenge we face is visibility and promotion. It's a free public journalism resource, but there's simply not a lot of money available out there to promote efforts like ours. So, while we've been running it successfully since 2001, and now feature quite a fine archive of past issues as a result, in my opinion the site has about 10 percent the usership it could and should.

Content is managed by a full-time writer funded jointly by MassINC and the News Service.

We've received a $10k grant to do a public-affairs curriculum for middle schoolers. Going forward, I'd like to institute a Spanish-language version, both of the archives and the day-to-day chronologies. My frustration is that I'll bet I can find funding for the content in Spanish in a snap - but then will face a vacuum of sources for the dough to make citizens aware that it's out there.