New site has 1,311 visitors, $7,600 in financial support
Launched on February 23, Quaker News announced its intent to move “formal communications out of the yearly meeting headquarters and into the hands of an independent and connected network of professional information hunter/gatherers.” Creation of the site was prompted in part by perceptions that gossip and conjecture were filling an information vacuum and potentially interfering with discernment.
Northwest Yearly Meeting released its communications coordinator in November 2015, and the yearly meeting Board of Communications is without a clerk.
Since its start, the site has developed four guiding truths:
- Movement toward transparency builds trust.
- Separating communications from the decision-making process reduces perceived conflicts of interest.
- Entrusting a third party with observing and reporting increases the yearly meeting’s perceived trustworthiness and objectivity.
- Contracting communications functions to an outside expert reduces yearly meeting costs and increases efficiency.
Quaker News averaged 102 views per day for the month of March, 204 views per day over the last week. The site has had 1,311 unique visitors, 25 subscribers, and gifts and pledges of support totaling $7,600.
Quaker News is the work of Barclay Press, where we hold to two truths: 1) Sharing stories changes lives, and 2) Open, equal access to information improves our discernment. You can support the work of Quaker News with donations through Barclay Press.