Rapidian supports community news, reporters

We're in an incredibly interesting time. The explosion of technology has meant many great things for civilization, but in other ways we're seeing the negative effects play out. The role of the media in our society has been diminished. Not that the importance of the role doesn't still remain; in fact it is needed now more than ever. But the ability for traditional journalism outlets to sustain themselves and provide the same level of oversight is severely in question.

Over the last few years, non-traditional channels have seen a rise in relevance. Bloggers around the world have "broken" news stories. A simple tweet can spark intense debate that upends the status quo. Groups gather through social media platforms first, and ultimately see their engagement around an issue be a catalyst for change offline. All it takes is someone to care about an issue. 

The Rapidian is a news source that provides a platform for anyone in our community to help drive the conversation around the issues they care about. Maybe for you it's transportation, local events or city economic growth. For me, it's city politics on the whole.

No matter what each of us cares about, we get to become the Reporter. In this time of turbulence in the checks and balances in our system, it's incredibly important that someone be the sorely needed oversight.

So why The Rapidian versus starting your own Tumblr? Well, quite simply it's the support. It's the support of a mentor, someone to help you in your journey (for example, how lucky am I that the Chair of the Writing Department of GVSU, Dan Royer, helps me with all of my articles?). It's the support of an incredible staff and board of The Rapidian and the Grand Rapids Community Media Center. It's the support of other citizen journalists, always ready to lend a helping hand. 

It's also about the audience. If I wrote on my own blog or Tumblr, I would have to build my own audience. It might just be my girlfriend paying attention to the news and information I want to share. On The Rapidian, however, I know that the audience is already there, and my voice is heard. In fact, a recent article I wrote was liked or shared on Facebook nearly 1,000 times and there were 13 comments on the article. On The Rapidian, I know that my efforts are noticed, and that they start conversations. Those conversations are important, as we all work to stay informed about important events and issues happening right in our city.

Ultimately, it's about legitimacy. Since September of 2009, The Rapidian has built an amazing platform that gets the site visits, and has guidelines and mentorship in place for responsible journalism. There's a place for you on The Rapidian, with an editorial process available to you, helping you at every step of the way.  

All it takes is for you to step up and write about what you care about.