Mission

The Center for Independent Media is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that operates an independent online news network in the public interest.  The Center’s reporters adhere to the highest standards of journalism, follow the code of ethics adopted by the Society of Professional Journalists, and are the recipients of numerous awards for excellence in journalism.  The Center views an informed citizenry as a fundamental principle of civil society and American democracy; in the words of the Supreme Court in Garrison v. Louisiana: “Speech concerning public affairs is more than self-expression; it is the essence of self-government.”

What We Do

The Center for Independent Media is designed to enhance the stability of independent media by working with online journalists and blogs to support their ability to inform public debate through journalism that adheres to the highest standards of the profession. To accomplish this goal, the center operates two program areas:

  • The New Journalist Training Program: Providing skills training and mentoring to bloggers and online journalists, state by state, this program aims to create a robust corps of individuals who can systematically report on issues critical to their communities, while adhering to the highest standards of professional journalism.
  • The New Journalist Editorial Program: Designed to pick up where the training program leaves off, the New Journalist editorial program provides talented online journalists with direct support to conduct original reporting. The majority are graduates of the training program.

Organization History

The Center for Independent Media was founded on May 1, 2006, as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. The center created the New Journalist Pilot Program to test the hypothesis that a melding of blog technology with the standards of professional journalism could produce original news and information, which in turn would contribute to diversifying public debate around issues of importance.

The New Journalist Pilot Program operated in two states — Colorado and Minnesota. Seventeen people participated in the program, collectively producing more than 2,200 original reports from July through October. A significant number of these reports triggered statewide and national attention, by drawing attention to important issues through the production of news that adhered to the standards of professional journalism. Approximately 29 million Americans were reached through the program, online and offline via television, radio, and newspapers picking up stories originated by CIM Fellows in the program.

Based on the successful performance of the New Journalist Pilot Program, a decision was made to expand operations and increase the number of programs. In May 2007, the CIM launched its third program, in Iowa. In September 2007, the center will launch its fourth program, in Michigan. A national program, based in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to launch in fall 2007.

Staff

David S. Bennahum, President & CEO
David is a former journalist and leading new media strategist, beginning with his role as a founding writer with Wired magazine in 1994, and a business career that included guiding online strategy for several Fortune 500 corporations and partnership in a New York-based private equity fund that invested in next generation wireless mobile services.

David was founding writer and contributing editor with Wired magazine, and the author of “Extra Life: Coming of Age in Cyberspace” (Basic Books; 1998). His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times, The Economist, New York magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Lingua Franca, Slate and Spin. David has also commented on technology and business related issues for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC News with Peter Jennings, CBS News with Dan Rather, and has appeared on “Politically Incorrect,” MTV, and “The O’Reilly Report” on FOX. He is currently writing his next book, titled “Fair Play” (Gotham Books), which traces the evolution of the concept of team sports in modern democratic society.

In 2000 David founded and launched New Things LLC, a New York-based private equity group focused on financing the next generation of wireless media and software services. During David’s tenure as a partner with New Things, the fund’s portfolio of companies reached profitability. Before founding New Things, David served as executive vice president of APL Digital, the interactive division of Ammirati Puris Lintas, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies with 1999 billings of $8 billion. David began his career in business as an analyst with McKinsey & Co. He is a 1990 graduate of Harvard College, magna cum laude.

Kim Cruts, Executive Assistant
Kim graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in public relations and a strong background in journalism and reporting. A “Navy brat,” she traveled around the world with her family before settling in Central Florida, where she worked with a number of non-profit organizations dedicated to youth growth and involvement. After college, Kim was drawn to Washington, D.C., by the city’s energy, drive and ambition, and joined the Center for Independent Media with the goal of experiencing how new media impacts the way the public views current events. 

Blake de Pastino, Senior Editor
Blake is a ten-year veteran of the alternative press, having worked as a reporter and editor at free weeklies in Albuquerque, Missoula, Phoenix, and Baltimore. Most recently he was editor at National Geographic News, the daily online news service of the National Geographic Society, where his field reporting and photographs were syndicated by the New York Times News Service. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Post Magazine, American Heritage, San Diego Union-Tribune, and various other papers throughout North America. He lives in Maryland.

Julie Gauthier, Office Manager
A native of southern Louisiana who relocated to DC in 2007, Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in political science from Louisiana State University.  She has written and researched on the politics of the Middle East and has studied French and Arabic.  Her duties as Office Manager will include all billing, processing, HR intake, and general office coordination.

Michael E. Grass, Editor
Michael’s career has taken him from Roll Call to The Washington Post to The New York Observer, where he most recently served as Deputy Managing Editor for The Observer’s national Politicker.com enterprise,
which at its height had about 30 reporters and editors covering politics in 17 states and in D.C.

Michael is the founding co-editor of DCist.com, the fifth of Gothamist.com’s local-focused news sites. He also helped launch and build the website for The Washington Post’s free daily newspaper, Express, where he was Local and Web Editor.

While his family has roots in the District of Columbia dating to the 1860s, Michigan is near and dear to Michael’s heart, growing up in East Grand Rapids, attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and serving as an editor and reporter for The Michigan Daily. Michael has written for Crain’s Detroit Business and is a published
contributor to “Writing Ann Arbor: A Literary Anthology” (U-M Press, 2005).

Robin Marty, Director of Special Projects
Robin Marty comes to the CIM with a background in marketing, have worked in public relations and corporate communications for career services, the hospitality industry and investment banking. Previously hired on as the state coordinator for Minnesota Monitor, Robin currently has assisted in the opening of multiple CIM states and has been heavily involved in the recruiting and mentoring of new state coordinators. Robin has been blogging since 2004, when she started The Power Liberal, which she currently runs with her husband, Steve, and is the Minneapolis city coordinator for Drinking Liberally, a progressive group with more than 160 chapters.

Christina J. Miller, Manager of Operations
Christina Jane Miller is a graduate of Trinity University with a degree in political science. She was born and raised in South Florida, where she was heavily involved in volunteerism. Most notably, she assisted in the development of America’s Promise for Youth in South Florida. In 2004, Christina moved to Washington, D.C., to complete advanced political science coursework at American University. She has served as vice president of a small political consulting firm in Washington, D.C., worked in the broadcasting world, as well as on Capitol Hill for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Chelsi Warner, Executive Assistant
Chelsi Warner is a native of Kentucky where she earned a B.A. in English from Centre College. Prior to joining the Center for Independent Media, she worked as a developmental associate for the Olney Theater Center in Olney, Maryland. She assists President and CEO David Bennahum with various administrative tasks and developmental projects.

Mentors, Current and Past

  • Rowena Alegría, veteran of the Denver Post newsroom and current editor at the Spanish language weekly Viva Colorado; she is a communications consultant with her own company, Alegría Communications.
  • Roger Buoen, former deputy managing editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
  • Jim Boyd, former deputy editorial page editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune for 25 years; former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, and winner of the 2005 media award from the American Academy of Diplomacy.
  • Tony Collings, former CNN Washington and foreign correspondent, former Newsweek London bureau chief, and current lecturer in communication studies at the University of Michigan.
  • Steve Doig, Knight Chair in Journalism at Arizona State University, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for his work at the Miami Herald.
  • Sandra Fish, instructor at Colorado University’s journalism school at Boulder.
  • Alan Fisk, former assistant city editor and investigative projects editor, the Detroit News, currently an instructor at Oakland University’s School of Journalism.
  • Kay Jarvis, former deputy managing editor, the Denver Post.
  • Bill Maurer, former managing editor of the Des Moines Register and Tribune and current editor of DSM, a culture magazine for the Des Moines metro area.
  • Mark Neuzil, associate professor of journalism and mass communication and environmental studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
  • Steve Perry, former editor of the Minneapolis alternative weekly, City Pages.
  • Herb Strentz, professor emeritus and former dean, Drake University School of Journalism in Iowa.