By Ginni Spencer
Joan Bowen’s recent article on the latest news regarding the proposed Red Heat Tavern in the Bedford Marketplace has been seen by than 2000 people on Facebook. The Citizen feels great about that number for a couple of reasons. First, it reflects the intense interest you as residents have about the development of our town. Second, it affirms that The Citizen is providing relevant information to townspeople who desire to stay in the know about what is happening with this particular project. Although we have no way of measuring it, we believe that this interest, coupled with readily available and reliable information, enables informed participation in all aspects of Bedford’s civic life.
The Citizen relies on qualified citizen-journalists like Joan to attend meetings and events, verify facts and write articles that are informative and clear. Our current group of writers includes names you may recognize as friends, neighbors, or from seeing their work in these pages: Susan Abramson, Dan Brosgol, Bob Bongiorno, Marya Dantzer, Marc Canner, Betsey Anderson, Andrea Cleghorn, Jon Sills, John Gibbons, Adrienne St. John, Chris Wendell, Dot Bergin, Stu Liss, John Castricum, Bob Dorer, Sharon MacDonald, Scott Arnold, Brown Pulliam, Elizabeth Hacala, and many others. We thank them ALL for their very valuable contributions to the success of The Citizen.
…and we’d like to extend an invitation to you to join our pool of reporters. We seek to provide regular coverage of all major town boards and committees. Maybe you have a particular interest in one that you’d like to learn more about. Or perhaps you are interested in a specific issue – like housing, recreation, PARCC vs. MCAS, zoning, or yes, restaurants, and would like to make it your “beat” and share your observations through The Citizen. If that’s you – let’s talk.
We’re looking for people who like to write and have the time to attend meetings (which are frequently in the evening) and/or events on a regular basis. Our standards are high: you must be able to write well, turn around articles within a few days, and your content must be factual and objective. If you can do that, here’s what we’ll do: provide introductory training, editing services, and where possible, photographs to complement your story (or you can submit photos yourself). We’ll guide you through our process and be available to answer questions and help you confirm your facts. We’ll try to connect you with other writers who may be willing to share reporting on a particular board or committee. And last but not least, we’ll give you a by-line so everyone knows you are the writer and a person who cares about our town.
I bet you’ve been thinking about this for a while. Why not apply today? Send an email to Meredith McCulloch at [email protected]. Consider it the start of an informed conversation…it’s what The Bedford Citizen is all about.
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