Category: CinDaily.com

Never since high school have more people asked me the same question over and over again. Back then it was what I was going to do when I graduated, including what college I planned to attend and what my major would be.

These days it has been what I would be doing after The Cincinnati Post closes Dec. 31. Despite many believing otherwise because of the frequency my stories appear in The Post, I am technically still a freelance writer and not a staffer. In that role, much like staffers who preceded me, I have been covering Cincinnati and Hamilton County government, politics and a vast array of general assignments since jumping on board there in March 2006.

Though I have managed to squeak out a piece or two for other pubs in the interim, The Post has pretty much bought all my time and thus is where just about all my reporting has appeared since March ’06. During that time my experience has has turned out to be exactly the opportunity in journalism I have always wanted (well, except for the lack of health insurance and retirement package benefits) and I am extremely grateful for it.

I’m one of the lucky people who can honestly say that I love my job. I like being a journalist and am very proud of the role I play in our democracy. Whether it’s being at the Board of Elections on Election Day, being a thorn in the side of the mayor or sniffing out a good story that I know my readers will care about, I get a big thrill out of what I do. So, with the Post’s closing I knew I needed to find a way to stay in the business, a business that is experiencing lay-offs, closings, buy-outs and cutbacks across the board and around the country. And I am happy to say I have a way to stay in this field.

For several months now I have been working to launch a comprehensive, thoughtful news Web site for Greater Cincinnati. Though the idea for exactly what it will be is somewhat fluid and developing very rapidly at this point, look for something soon to be online at CinDaily.com.

In the coming weeks and months you will begin to see major changes, enhancements and features to CinDaily.com that I think just about every Cincinnatian will find useful. The features of the site will have a distinctly community-driven aspect and the site will be built from and by the users.

An official launch to the site will occur in early 2008, if progress continues to happen at the speed we have seen thus far.

While I cannot yet discuss all that is planned, suffice it say that you will see familiar names, cutting-edge professional journalism, thoughtful and creative news coverage, as well as breaking news and many other features. We will strive to present the news – and help redefine news online – in an amoral and non-ideological way.

CinDaily.com comes at a critical juncture in the media and journalism scene in Cincinnati. I think it will provide a critical voice for the citizens of our community – in a way that focuses on possibilities for all of Cincinnati. The site will also deliver the region’s most thoughtful news in a way that has never been attempted around here. I can’t wait to get started.

Please come follow along in the coming days as things get ramped up. I think you will enjoy what you see…