As someone who’s accustomed to writing the news, I have to tell you that it’s an odd feeling to suddenly be the news.
But this week, we are. We’re elated that local outlet Gazetteer SF has decided to spill some ink about us.
From Eddie Kim’s piece, published Thursday:
San Francisco’s ever-expanding independent media scene has a new outlet looking to fill a gap: Hyperlocal journalism about the Tenderloin created by the community, for the community, and led by three SF newsroom veterans: Noah Arroyo, Daphne Magnawa, and Laura Wenus.
The Tenderloin Voice launched on Monday, with stories including a vigil for unhoused people alongside poetry about tacos. The site’s mission is summed up by a simple question: Why not ask readers exactly what they want to see?
About that: Gazetteer SF is generally paywalled; they’re making the bet that readers who want quality news can and will cough up the money for it. But that link jumps the paywall, because the newsroom’s staff want the Tenderloin Voice’s readers to have full access to it. And if that doesn’t make you smile then I can’t help you.
Cheers, Gazetteer!
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I’ll admit that as we prepared to launch News Relay Network, which this week began publishing the Tenderloin Voice, I was worried that journalists would turn up their noses at the whole operation. We’re breaking some very important norms, after all, by bringing down the barriers between the newsroom and its audience.
Instead, 99% of journalists I’ve encountered have loved the concept, and many have said so publicly. It seems that there is widespread interest in exploring new ideas, and I find that utterly refreshing. When it comes to rethinking journalism, we’re in good company.
With this renewed wind at our backs, we’ll continue this experiment. There’s room for all of us.
I'm a journalist who has reported for years on San Francisco topics like homelessness, housing, and governance. I co-founded News Relay Network, publisher of the Tenderloin Voice, where I write and edit. Reach me at noah@tlvoice.org.
