Indie Jersey City - some news

by: Rosi Efthim

Mon Dec 21, 2009 at 11:32:00 AM EST

Okay, most of it. And some of it just awful. But one of the bright spots for us has been Jersey City Independent, the indie news website that sprang up there less than a year ago (and its predecessor, the nervy newsprint City Belt). We like the fresh approach to the news, the mixmash of JC's vibrant music/arts scene, and the progressive approach to the city's possibilities. In The Independent, they built a solid, fun local on line presence in the city where we love to spend our money.

We've done a number of posts here lamenting the decline of unique viewpoint, the cutbacks, and the rare flashes of hope for what some new media types call dead tree media. Sad name if I ever heard one.

New ventures in print are rare, so we're happy our friends at The Independent are taking over NEW, the twice-yearly arts, culture/lifestyle magazine already covering Jersey City. They'll be a print/web hybrid operation starting in April, when the first issue of NEW, produced by their "small and scrappy" staff comes out, while The Independent continues on the web.

We cover politics here. So why are we telling you about a culture magazine launch? Because policy impacts culture, and we know these folks think in big pictures. In questions like, Why doesn't JC have a full-out music venue despite the fact the city is crawling with bands? In stories about bike lanes. Clean air. How to strengthen local economies and community-supported agriculture. And a viable hotshot arts scene.

So, here's to the new NEW, and the twice-as-busy staff now juggling 2 ventures and madly scribbling stories as they get their first issue of NEW ready to hit the streets. They want to be a longstanding, sustainable alternative media outlet for a city that desperately needs it. Yes, more please. We do better with strong independent voices throwing a spotlight on the world - and down the block. And we can't wait to see what you guys do next.