Posted inThe Pitch, Uncategorized

WyoFile receives $75K Knight Foundation grant

WyoFile receives $75K Knight Foundation grant

— March 18, 2014
by WyoFile staff

knight-logo-300

Wyoming’s premier nonprofit online news organization WyoFile is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the John S. James L. Knight Foundation Fund at the Miami Foundation. The grant will be awarded to WyoFile over the course of 2014 and 2015 for the purpose of providing additional strategic development toward sustainable revenue and journalistic excellence.

The funding is part of the Knight Local Media Initiative that aims to help nonprofit news organizations establish long-term sustainability. The initiative comprises various other investments in the space, including $5 million in grants to over 25 local online news organizations that have demonstrated potential for growth and the INNovation Fund, which promotes newsroom innovation.

“This investment is intended to help organizations that have shown promise to develop new innovations, while adding to the momentum they have already built towards further growth and sustainability,” said Michael Maness, Knight Foundation vice president of journalism and media innovation.

Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile editor-in-chief
Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile editor-in-chief

“Since WyoFile launched in 2008, we have been committed to filling a gap left by shrinking newsrooms, providing in-depth reporting on Wyoming’s people, places and policy in ways that educate the public and help citizens become more engaged in public life,” said WyoFile editor-in-chief Dustin Bleizeffer. “We are extremely pleased to have the support of the Knight Foundation in our continuing mission.”

WyoFile gained its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status in 2009, and has relied on foundations, readers and donors who generously support the work of proven journalists who write about matters of health care, energy, environment, government and Wyoming communities with the depth and context that is sometimes missing from the daily headlines. The nonpartisan organization has relied on the work of three experienced Wyoming reporters and a network of Wyoming journalism veterans to expose a $10 million Department of Energy federal stimulus project now under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, to delve into cultural and policy challenges on the Wind River Indian Reservation, and to cover in detail Wyoming’s lacking health care delivery systems, among other key issues in the state.

For the past two years, WyoFile has committed to covering key legislative work that shapes the state’s budget and social agenda as lawmakers meet throughout the year and while lawmakers are in session. “Our readership is expanding, and all of our readers are demanding more of the smart and informative reporting they have come to expect from WyoFile,” said Bleizeffer. “The generous support of the Knight Foundation will help us build a sustainable revenue model that will allow us to continue our mission for many years to come.”

— If you’re a WyoFile reader and would like to see more of the smart, in-depth reporting that better informs Wyoming citizens, please consider becoming a WyoFile supporter. Click here to find out how you can support WyoFile. For more about WyoFile, read our About Us page.

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Posted inThe Pitch, Uncategorized

WyoFile receives $75K Knight Foundation grant

WyoFile receives $75K Knight Foundation grant

— March 18, 2014
by WyoFile staff

knight-logo-300

Wyoming’s premier nonprofit online news organization WyoFile is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the John S. James L. Knight Foundation Fund at the Miami Foundation. The grant will be awarded to WyoFile over the course of 2014 and 2015 for the purpose of providing additional strategic development toward sustainable revenue and journalistic excellence.

The funding is part of the Knight Local Media Initiative that aims to help nonprofit news organizations establish long-term sustainability. The initiative comprises various other investments in the space, including $5 million in grants to over 25 local online news organizations that have demonstrated potential for growth and the INNovation Fund, which promotes newsroom innovation.

“This investment is intended to help organizations that have shown promise to develop new innovations, while adding to the momentum they have already built towards further growth and sustainability,” said Michael Maness, Knight Foundation vice president of journalism and media innovation.

Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile editor-in-chief
Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile editor-in-chief

“Since WyoFile launched in 2008, we have been committed to filling a gap left by shrinking newsrooms, providing in-depth reporting on Wyoming’s people, places and policy in ways that educate the public and help citizens become more engaged in public life,” said WyoFile editor-in-chief Dustin Bleizeffer. “We are extremely pleased to have the support of the Knight Foundation in our continuing mission.”

WyoFile gained its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status in 2009, and has relied on foundations, readers and donors who generously support the work of proven journalists who write about matters of health care, energy, environment, government and Wyoming communities with the depth and context that is sometimes missing from the daily headlines. The nonpartisan organization has relied on the work of three experienced Wyoming reporters and a network of Wyoming journalism veterans to expose a $10 million Department of Energy federal stimulus project now under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, to delve into cultural and policy challenges on the Wind River Indian Reservation, and to cover in detail Wyoming’s lacking health care delivery systems, among other key issues in the state.

For the past two years, WyoFile has committed to covering key legislative work that shapes the state’s budget and social agenda as lawmakers meet throughout the year and while lawmakers are in session. “Our readership is expanding, and all of our readers are demanding more of the smart and informative reporting they have come to expect from WyoFile,” said Bleizeffer. “The generous support of the Knight Foundation will help us build a sustainable revenue model that will allow us to continue our mission for many years to come.”

— If you’re a WyoFile reader and would like to see more of the smart, in-depth reporting that better informs Wyoming citizens, please consider becoming a WyoFile supporter. Click here to find out how you can support WyoFile. For more about WyoFile, read our About Us page.

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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