The Civic Gazette NYC is a local independent digital newsfeed delivering thoughtfully curated, vetted and fact-checked information of civic and general interest from movers and shakers like you in the Five Boroughs and beyond.
Its publisher and founding editor is Jonathan J. Judge and it is owned and operated by Codacity LLC, headquartered in downtown Brooklyn.
Got something for us to share? Send it in. Want to know more about this endeavor? Here’s a letter from our editor:
Dear New York,
I’ve started the Civic Gazette NYC with two primary objectives in mind.
The first is to help connect new and established New Yorkers better with each other. So many of us desire stronger connection and community. I hear it from people every day. To do that, I’ll be showcasing the good things people are doing in every corner of The Five Boroughs™ and who’s doing it. Why does that matter?
Because discovering unity of purpose and uncommon kinship will help us solve our problems better.
Because we can be more effective in cultivating thriving, interdependent communities together.
Because we need New York to be a more resilient, free and just place for everybody.
Now, by doing this, my second objective is to demonstrate that our lust for democratic self-governance is not only still alive and well; democratic self-governance, in fact, is working much better than portrayals in today’s cultural and media climate would have us believe.
And sure, wherever it needs to be working better (no doubt, there’s certainly a list!), I aim to highlight how our forebears overcame similar challenges so that we have good roadmaps to guide us on our journeys ahead.
Outside of my business and entrepreneurial experience, I have a long history of serving in civic, political and community organizations here in New York. So I say these things not out of blind idealism, but because I’ve personally witnessed remarkable things accomplished by groups of incredible people, most of which you probably never heard of.
Though the gaps between perception and reality right now on these points may seem like vast chasms, we’ve closed worse before. And that’s exactly why I think this project ought to do its part to move the needle closer to where it needs to be.
As far as the operation of this project is concerned, this is a solo, independent venture hatched right here in Brooklyn.
No venture capital funding. No parent corporation or silent partner sponsoring it. Nada.
So whatever impact this can have depends almost entirely on your participation. That means sharing the work you’re doing so it can be shared with everyone else. That means your donations and sponsorships will be crucial to make this more than just one individual’s effort on his downtime. And I have every intention of working to earn every cent you’re willing to put towards this effort.
So how can you start to pitch in? Well there are a few ways:
1. Share the things you’re concerned about, the things that should be highlighted or the issues that you’re working on with other people here. Of course, before anything goes out on our site or social media channels, it’ll be double-checked, cross-referenced and verified appropriately, which might feel, ahem, kinda meta given how the other you-know-whos now operate.
2. Create an account and start liking the posts that you think people need to see so they move up on our Trending page. That’s the only “algorithm” at play. Whatever more people like over the last 7 days, that’s what will show up higher on the Trending page.
3. Screenshot our posts, make a video or post on your own socials or blogs talking about items you’ve read about here and why it matters to you. And then tag us so we can review and perhaps add it to our original post to showcase your perspectives.
4. Share the items that matter to you with your friends. Send a text. Bring up interesting items from our feed at your next hang or dinner party or FaceTime chat.
5. Consider making a donation here. Or sponsor a pinned post promotion. If you want more details on that, let me know here.
Whatever you do, just keep (or start) participating in something with those you live around or those who belong to the same communities as you. Meet regularly. Talk and resolve yourselves to work towards even the tiniest, simplest change where you feel it is needed because even a tiny pebble tossed into water makes ripples that can go far and wide (h/t Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama for that analogy).
Once again, welcome to the Civic Gazette NYC. Good to have you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan J. Judge
Publisher/Editor
Civic Gazette NYC
