The Island Free Press is here |
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Welcome to The Island Free Press, Hatteras and Ocracoke
islands’
first and only Web-based newspaper. The Island Free Press will cover the people, the issues, and the happenings that are constantly shaping our Hatteras and Ocracoke communities. It will cover and post the news as it happens, and its writers will explain the past, examine the present, and explore the future for residents and visitors alike. Writers familiar to island readers will cover everything from recreation to education, from policies to politics, and I will try to put all this in perspective in this column. This is your newspaper. It will speak to those of us who live here and those of you who own property here and don’t live here. It will be an important connection for all of you who are regular visitors and who carry the islands in your hearts and maybe hope to live here someday. And it’s also for all of you who may be coming here for the first time and need some ideas for planning your vacation.  Many
of you may know me from the 16 years I spent editing The Island
Breeze. I took over as editor just a few editions after the
publication was started in 1991 by Tony McGowan. I was a
regular
visitor to Hatteras for 15 years, always longing to live here, before I
moved here 16 years ago and married an islander. Now this is
my
home, a place I love more than any other. After I parted ways with the current owner, The Virginian-Pilot, which wanted to make “a change in vendor services,” I started thinking about what to do with the rest of my life. And when I started thinking about the future, I never even imagined this Internet venture. I am not particularly technologically inclined. I am one of those people who grew up with newspapers, and I’ve worked in the business all of my adult life. I cannot begin my morning until I have two cups of coffee and have read every word in my daily paper. Then a former colleague and fellow editor suggested that I look into Web publishing. It piqued my interest because I’d have the opportunity to post breaking news – whether on the Bonner Bridge replacement, beach driving, or a threatening storm – right away instead of having to wait for next month’s print product. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made for me and for the Hatteras and Ocracoke community. I called my friend Buddy Swain, who with Jim Boyd owns Hatteras Designs. We had our first meeting on Monday, Aug. 13, to talk about developing a Web site. And now, just a little more than three weeks later, we are online with the site. The Island Free Press is not going to be a daily newspaper – at least not yet – but there will be new postings on a regular basis and as news happens on the islands. It is also a site that is still in development. We have started with the front page and three “category” pages – local news, the community page, and commentary and letters. We will be adding more content to these three pages, and we’ll continue adding other category pages through the fall. Advertising will be available on the front page and all of the index pages. After this week, I will be updating this column on a daily basis with news, perspective on the news, and other just interesting items. In the middle of winter if there is no news, I may be writing about the beautiful sunsets, how hard the wind is blowing, the constant procession of migratory birds in my yard, the activity that goes on year-round on our working waterfronts, or just all the flotsam and jetsam that wash up on the winter beaches. I may take the weekends off –unless, of course, there is news. And, since this is your newspaper, we want to hear from you. We want you to send us your ideas for more news and features, story ideas, photos, letters, guest columns. I will be editing this newspaper, and I own it. That local ownership, I think, is a big plus for our community. My partners in this venture are two former and very talented colleagues from The Island Breeze. Pam Stoffel is the advertising manager, and Donna Barnett is the graphic designer. I couldn’t have reached this point without Buddy Swain and Jim Boyd of Hatteras Designs, who are almost as excited as we are about this adventure. I also want to recognize my good friend Scott Geib, who gave us good advice even when we didn’t want to hear any more advice from him, and my dear friend and mentor Michael Gartner, a Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial writer who has edited several of the country’s best newspapers and has been president of NBC News. He’s given me good advice for 20 years, and he hasn’t let me down now. Finally, I want to thank the many friends and businesses in the community who have already supported this fledgling effort and who have pledged to continue as we grow. As a print newspaper person for 40 years, I am amazed at how quickly The Island Free Press has come together from conception to fruition. It is indeed a whole new world for communicating, and we are excited to be a part of it. I hope you will enjoy traveling this new road with us. |