Building the Future of Journalism

Help the 2010 Narco News School of Authentic Journalism Provide the Technical Infrastructure so that Its Lessons Can Be Shared With You

By David B. Briones
Cyber Development Director, Narco News

November 12, 2009

It’s been mentioned before by Publisher Al Giordano and others here at Narco News that we do not work to take home a big paycheck. Instead, we do what we do because the most important of professional fields to Democracy has begun to rot from the inside out. Journalism. Indeed, without a strong and ethical press it is impossible from the get-go to practice Democracy, as citizens would be unable to make truly informed decisions required to maintain such a system. As a result, we’ve learned to live simply in this country of ours called América, and without all the luxuries we were used to back home. However, the rewards of keeping alive Authentic Journalism pays dividends in other ways far more valuable than money.

For decades – this past decade in particular – we have seen the erosion of journalism to the sad point where we are today. Commercial media is meant to distract from important issues and authentic journalists have mainly been replaced by pretty talking heads that have no clue what a real reporter is or does. And in worse cases they actively try to twist and misrepresent events or issues of the day. Ethics have given way to the “bottom-line” in a field that isn’t meant for profit making but instead meant to deliver well-researched (and referenced) reports and insights to the general public.

It’s been three years since I arrived to help with the technical side of The Narco News Bulletin. Back then I was just a techie who was interested in reading the news without an injected corporate bias and given the opportunity to offer my skills to such a news entity. Now I’m proud to say that I’m no longer just a IT person merely helping with the technical aspects of this newspaper, but instead a part of something that fights for the ideal and that is making serious impacts in the battle to continue what we call Authentic Journalism. And because this project is made of talented people with similar mindsets – and supported by readers like you – we continue to steamroll ahead with our objective.

But in such a project like Narco News – especially during one of the biggest growths of our history – it is important to remind our readers not to forget what’s going on “behind the scenes” and what it takes to keep the engines of the newspaper running smoothly. And indeed, based on support in past appeals, our readers clearly understand and recognize the importance of the infrastructure here. In the years since I’ve been here we’ve upgraded servers twice in order to keep up with the demand from increased readership.

Now Narco News is once again going one step further as we prepare for the 2010 School of Authentic Journalism. In addition to providing a dream team of journalists and movement leaders for the faculty of the School and the twenty-four scholarships (being reviewed at this very moment) being granted is the glue that will hold it all together: technical infrastructure.

It’s going to be ten days of teaching, learning, writing, reporting and publishing that is going to require a large technical infrastructure to keep all those laptops pumping the stories out as fast as possible. To achieve this we are going to be setting up an advanced wireless network at the School that is requiring collaboration with the broadband Internet-access provider as well as with the host hotel. Making a dollar go a long way is nothing new to us here at Narco News, but technical equipment is one area where little wiggle room is available especially when you’re aiming for reliability.

That’s why I’m asking you, kind reader, to donate and help support the 2010 School for Authentic Journalism. Your donation will ensure the success of the School and Project that is building the future of journalism, breeding the next-generation of Authentic Journalists. Beyond that, you can rest assured that we’ll continue to operate advertiser-free and outside the range of imposed biases from such advertisers. We serve those who support us: our readers.

You can donate online at this link:

http://www.authenticjournalism.org

Or you can send a check to:

The Fund for Authentic Journalism
PO Box 241
Natick, MA 01760 USA

Thank you so much for supporting Narco News. Without your help it wouldn’t be what is today, and because of your help we continue to grow.

David B. Briones
Cyber Development Director, Narco News

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