The Reno News & Review has now been back in print for 15 months—and it’s been one hell of a journey.
On that journey, we’ve earned some accolades. I just got back from the Association of Alternative Media’s annual conference, this year held in Dallas, hosted by the Dallas Voice. At the conference, the association announced the results of the 2023 AAN Awards, and the RN&R took home two: third place for right-wing extremism coverage, for Frank X. Mullen’s piece last year on Robert Beadles; and first place for election coverage, for Frank’s stories on the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees races last year.
Regarding the school board coverage, the judge wrote: “These well-written pieces clearly depict what happens when school boards become weapons in the culture war. The theater is damaging to the well-being of everyone involved, especially the students, teachers and the community as a whole. I appreciate that the pieces set the record straight on falsehoods the rabblerousers are pushing such as the fact that (critical race theory) is being taught in K-12 and the district’s low test scores. These pieces are a community service.”
To summarize all of this: This little swing-state newspaper was honored with the top award for the best election coverage nationwide. Pretty cool.
Meanwhile, our journey continues—and we’re on the lookout for some people to come along with us.
First: We’re looking for a new managing editor. Frank X. Mullen, who stepped up three years ago to help keep the online version of the RN&R going, and without whom this newspaper would likely not exist right now, wants to step back from the everyday grind of being the editor. (Don’t worry; he’ll still be involved with the RN&R, and will continue writing and reporting.)
We’re looking for someone to coordinate our coverage, work with our writers, and maintain the high journalism standards the RN&R has long had. Journalism experience is required, of course; the hours are flexible; and the pay, frankly, as of now is so-so. If you’re interested, or know of someone who may be, please drop me a line at jimmyb@renonr.com.
Second: We’re looking for RN&R super-fans. We are in the process of planning the future of the paper, and would love to hear from you. Whether you’ve been a RN&R fan for years, or you discovered us when we rebooted post-pandemic, we want your input. If that’s you, again, my email is jimmyb@renonr.com.
Some further explanation: As I have mentioned in this space before, we’re working to make sure the RN&R never goes away again. As the Gannett daily continues to wither away, our coverage is more important than ever before. We’re currently in the process of analyzing the best path forward for the RN&R—including a possible conversion to nonprofit status.
That’s where you, our super-fans, come in: We want to better understand where the RN&R fits into your life. What do you like about it? What could we do better? And how are you willing to help us secure a sustainable future?
Frankly, I don’t want the RN&R’s future to depend on me, or on the whims of any other owner. The RN&R is a community resource, and it would be fantastic for it to belong to the community as a nonprofit. But in order for that to happen, we’ll need board members, and donors, and volunteers, and people willing to help us find funding.
The future of this newspaper is bright. Our wonderful advertisers and our reader supporters have gotten us to a place where we can pay our bills and do good things. But in order for us to grow, and in order for us to survive a possible economic downturn, we need the community to stand behind us.