Honolulu Civil Beat
{{Short description|American news organization and website}}
{{Italic title}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Honolulu Civil Beat
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| url = {{URL|civilbeat.org}}
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| headquarters = Honolulu, Hawaii
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| commercial = No
| type = News website
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| language = English
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| owner = Honolulu Civil Beat Inc.
| author =
| founder = Pierre Omidyar and Randy Ching
| editor = Patti Epler
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2010|05}}
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Honolulu Civil Beat is a nonprofit online news organization covering the U.S. state of Hawaii. It specializes in investigative reporting, watchdog journalism and in-depth enterprise coverage.{{cite book |first=Mohammad |last=Bahareth |title=Kings of the Internet: What You Don't Know About Them ? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kh7rQNQHicwC&pg=PA50 |date=April 2012 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-1-4697-9842-4 |pages=49–55}}{{Cite web |last=Peck |first=Gretchen A. |last2= |first2= |date=2024-03-14 |title=Honolulu Civil Beat now thriving as a nonprofit |url=https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/award-winning-honolulu-civil-beat-thrives-as-a-nonprofit,248651 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Editor & Publisher |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Edmonds |first=Rick |date=2022-05-17 |title=Good things happened when Honolulu Civil Beat dropped its paywall and went to donations instead |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/honolulu-civil-beat-news-revenue-hub-paywall-donations/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}
History
Pierre Omidyar launched Civil Beat in May 2010 with a subscription paywall.{{cite book |first=Fariborz |last=Ghadar |title=Becoming American: Why Immigration Is Good for Our Nation's Future |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LEwJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA62 |date=6 March 2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-2895-5 |pages=62–}}{{cite news |url=http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/2011/08/civil-beat-bests-the-newspaper-of-record-in-hawaiis-online-news-war/ |title=Civil Beat Bests the "Newspaper of Record" in Hawai'i's Online News War |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012201436/http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/2011/08/civil-beat-bests-the-newspaper-of-record-in-hawaiis-online-news-war/ |archive-date=2011-10-12 |newspaper=Hawaii News Daily |first=Andy |last=Parx |date=August 5, 2011}} Its founding editor was Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Temple, former editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.cjr.org/news_startups_guide/2011/02/honolulu-civil-beat.php |title=Online news startups: Honolulu Civil Beat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224104842/https://www.cjr.org/news_startups_guide/2011/02/honolulu-civil-beat.php |archive-date=2015-12-24 |magazine=Columbia Journalism Review |date=Feb 23, 2011 |first=Alex |last=Fekula}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/August-2012/Paperless-Press-in-Honolulu/ |title=The Paperless Press in Honolulu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113531/http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/August-2012/Paperless-Press-in-Honolulu/ |archive-date=2016-03-04 |magazine=Honolulu Magazine |first=Tiffany |last=Hill |date=6 August 2012}} When Temple left to take a position at The Washington Post in 2012, journalist Patti Epler was promoted to executive editor.{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Tiffany |date=2012-08-06 |title=The Paperless Press in Honolulu |url=https://www.honolulumagazine.com/the-paperless-press-in-honolulu/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Honolulu Magazine |language=en-US}}
In 2012, as part of an investigation of municipal law enforcement, Civil Beat sued the City and County of Honolulu for access to public records.{{cite news |url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=308380671&id=308380671 |title=SHOPO, Civil Beat make their cases on release of officers' names |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620230442/http://www.staradvertiser.com/s |archive-date=2015-06-20 |newspaper=Honolulu Star Advertiser |first=Dan |last=Nakaso |date=Jun 19, 2015}} In 2013, Huffington Post launched a Hawaii issues and travel-oriented site in partnership with Civil Beat. HuffPost Hawaii staff share office space with the Civil Beat staff.{{Cite web |last=Omidyar |first=Pierre |date=2013-09-04 |title=Hawaii News Coverage Expands with Launch of HuffPost Hawaii |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-news-coverage-expa_b_3866886 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}
In 2016, the publication became a non-profit and its paywall was dropped.{{cite magazine |last=McCambridge |first=Ruth |date=June 9, 2016 |title=Civil Beat's 6th birthday wish is to become a nonprofit news site |url=https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/06/09/civil-beats-6th-birthday-wish-is-to-become-a-nonprofit-news-site/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202005535/https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/06/09/civil-beats-6th-birthday-wish-is-to-become-a-nonprofit-news-site/ |archive-date=2017-02-02 |access-date=21 January 2016 |magazine=Nonprofit Quarterly}}
Operation
Civil Beat has a board of directors that has included publisher Pierre Omidyar.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/paying-for-honolulu-news/ |title=Paying For Honolulu News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706102050/http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/paying-for-honolulu-news/ |archive-date=2015-07-06 |magazine=Hawaii Business |first1=Jerry |last1=Burgis |first2=Bev |last2=Creamer |date=June 2011}}
Civil Beat gets revenue from subscriptions along with funding from Omidyar. Other sponsorships have come from local businesses and nonprofits, such as the law firm of Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, Appleseed Center and Honolulu Museum of Art which together provided underwriting for a reporting project in Micronesia, and D.R. Horton, which provided underwriting for a series on Hawaii's high cost of living.
Besides the partnership with The Huffington Post, Civil Beat has media partnerships with Hawaii Public Radio, KITV and Clear Channel/KHVH. Civil Beat provides content and analysis for other news organizations including National Public Radio.
Civil Beat is headquartered in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.{{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vj8KXFWSuwgC&pg=PT119 |title=Entrepreneurial Journalism: How to Build What's Next for News |date=12 October 2011 |publisher=CQ Press |isbn=978-1-60871-420-9 |pages=119–}}{{cite news |last=Rushe |first=Dominic |date=20 October 2013 |title=Pierre Omidyar: from eBay to crusading journalism? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/oct/20/pierre-omidyar-observer-profile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423065739/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/oct/20/pierre-omidyar-observer-profile |archive-date=2017-04-23 |newspaper=The Guardian}} Articles written by Civil Beat journalists have been featured in the New York Times and are often referenced and quoted in other news sources.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/15/rep-tulsi-gabbard-the-democrat-that-republicans-love-and-the-dnc-cant-control/ |title=Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: The Democrat that Republicans love and the DNC can't control |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016154235/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/15/rep-tulsi-gabbard-the-democrat-that-republicans-love-and-the-dnc-cant-control/ |archive-date=2015-10-16 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Amber |last=Phillips |date=October 15, 2015}}{{cite news |url=http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/13318563/honolulu-civil-beat-poll-reports-abercrombie-leading-aiona-in-governors-race |title=Honolulu Civil Beat poll reports Abercrombie leading Aiona in governor's race |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113239/http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/13318563/honolulu-civil-beat-poll-reports-abercrombie-leading-aiona-in-governors-race |archive-date=2016-03-04 |work=Hawaii News Now |date=Oct 13, 2010}} Civil Beat staff contribute to local talk radio programs.
As of 2011, Civil Beat{{'}}s competitors include the state's major newspaper, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Honolulu Civil Beat is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Awards
The Greater Oregon{{cite web |title=Hawaii SPJ Excellence in Journalism Awards |url=http://www.hawaiispj.org/Awards/awards11.htm |website=HawaiiSPJ.org |publisher=Hawaii Chapter SPJ |quote=The Hawaii Chapter SPJ contest was judged by the Greater Oregon Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.}} and the Indiana{{cite web |title=2012 Excellence in Journalism Awards |url=http://www.hawaiispj.org/Awards/awards12.htm |website=HawaiiSPJ.org |publisher=Hawaii Chapter SPJ |quote=Entries were judged by the Indiana Chapter of SPJ.}} chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) gave its award for "best overall news site" in Hawaii to Honolulu Civil Beat in 2011 and 2012. In 2017, editor Richard Wiens announced it had won best online newsite (the Louisville chapter judged 2016), marking 7 years in a row the paper had won the title.{{cite news |last=Wiens |first=Richard |date=July 3, 2017 |title=Honolulu Civil Beat Named Hawaii's Best News Site For 7th Straight Year |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2017/07/honolulu-civil-beat-named-hawaiis-best-news-site-for-7th-straight-year/ |work=Honolulu Civil Beat}}
In May 2024, the publication was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting, for its coverage of the 2023 Hawaii wildfires.{{Cite web |last=Epler |first=Patti |date=2024-05-06 |title=Civil Beat Named Pulitzer Finalist For Maui Fire Coverage |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/05/civil-beat-named-pulitzer-finalist-for-maui-fire-coverage/ |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Honolulu Civil Beat |language=en}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.civilbeat.com/ Honolulu Civil Beat website]
Category:Companies based in Honolulu
Category:Internet properties established in 2010
Category:Mass media in Honolulu