OUR MISSION:
WHY? You want to stay engaged in public life but there’s too much information – and rhetoric – especially online. But tweaking your Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds only gets you so far. Traditional news media can help but continue to face cutbacks. Public Eye Northwest isn’t merely about “journalism.” The strength of a region’s news and information system, and the capacity of citizens to understand public life and engage, is integral to community health. Help us build stronger communities.
WHAT: Public Eye Northwest (PEN) is a Seattle-based federally tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity that works as an honest non-partisan broker. We help people and communities save time but stay informed – and get involved in government and community non-profits.
KEY PROJECT: Our Public Data Ferret project captures and translates into plain language for readers a wide variety of important new government reports and information that would otherwise slip through the cracks. Additional exposure of Ferret’s content comes through our affiliation with the Seattle Times, as a member of their News Partner Network.
SHINING A LIGHT ON OTHERS: At Ferret’s “mother blog” site Social Capital Review we also report on the vital work of selected non-profits in Western Washington, underscoring that civic engagement is not only about government.
COLLABORATION: To accent government transparency and civic capacity building we also do teaching, journalism internships, outside publishing, social media, and informal consulting. Our work covers Seattle and other local and regional governments in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. We also selectively cover the Washington state and U.S. governments.
YOUR SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT: PEN is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity and is seeking baseline annual investment to sustain our journalism and outreach work. Please contact Matt Rosenberg – matt(at)publiceyenorthwest(dot)org – if you are interested in helping support PEN. (Secure donations can also be made electronically, using a credit card, here).
FUTURE PLANS: We’ve also identified additional work that would be done if a second, “baseline-plus” level of annual investment can be achieved. This would include a special project on digital inclusion in the Central Puget Sound region, public service journalism projects, and targeted transparency assessments of Washington state, and regional and local governments in the state. PEN has a nine-member board of directors, an experienced founder/executive director, rotating interns, and a variety of working partnerships with other organizations and professionals.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
More details here on our current and planned work program.
Also see:
Public Data Ferret In The News
WORDS TO LIVE BY: A founding father of the United States and our fourth president, James Madison, observed that a “popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”