Media

Support Joey Coleman's Crowdfunding for Independent Journalism in Hamilton

The city's best-known independent journalist has made it his mission to cast a bright, steady light on City Hall, and he needs your support.

By Ryan McGreal
Published January 06, 2014

Joey Coleman

Hamilton needs Joey Coleman, and Joey Coleman needs your support.

The city's best-known independent journalist has made it his mission to cast a bright, steady light on City Hall by livestreaming and archiving every council, committee and subcommittee meeting and school board Trustee meeting. He also pushes to have agendas and minutes published in a timely fashion and has long been an articulate advocate for the City to commit to open public data.

Democracy is what happens before Council makes a final decision, and Joey has lifted the standard on early and consistent media coverage of the democratic process in Hamilton. This allows citizens to be informed and engaged on issues while there is still opportunity to make a difference.

In addition to livestreaming, Joey writes reports on newsworthy stories and even an occasional opinion piece. He even heads into Toronto to follow Hamilton events at Queen's Park.

Meanwhile, he finds time to provide and share live, on-site coverage from news hotspots across the city, from severe weather events to middle-of-the-night house fires to civic events.

Joey can't be everywhere in person, but his expert use of social media networks has served to amplify the voices of sincere Hamiltonians across the city who are eager to be more involved in the news and events that shape their communities.

As of January 2, we are in the 2014 municipal election cycle and Joey Coleman has pledged "to provide the most comprehensive, fact-based coverage of any media outlet".

He does all of this with a level of professionalism and sheer integrity that leaves no doubt as to his dedication to the virtues of civic journalism. We are all better for his efforts, even people who only get their news from other sources: his example has raised the bar for everyone.

Free to All

The most amazing thing is that Joey provides all of this - livestreams, video archives, reports, opinion pieces - to everyone for free. No throttles, no paywalls, no fees. He is committed to providing information in an open, interconnected web of resources.

Instead of subscriptions or fees, Joey depends on periodic crowdfunding to finance his operations. In his current crowdfunding round, which closes at midnight on January 10, he hopes to raise $9,000 to continue his unique coverage of civic affairs.

Hamilton is very lucky to have such an exciting form of journalism in its midst. I'm not aware of anyone else who is doing what Joey has accomplished: an independent, locally-based journalist supported entirely by voluntary donations from people who enjoy, appreciate and benefit from his work.

Please take a moment and make a contribution. It can be as little as $10 - the price of a coffee and a sandwich - or as much as you can afford to share.

Joey has already proven from previous crowdfunding rounds that this will be money well-spent on consistent, broad-spectrum, high-quality journalism centred on the level of government that has the most direct impact on your quality of life.

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.

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By AP (registered) | Posted January 06, 2014 at 12:17:47

I'm in. 2nd time supporting Joey via one of his crowdfunding campaigns. The value he brings in across-the-board heightened expectations around accountability, transparency, engagement and all other aspects of performance - amongst civic leaders, other media outlets and the general citizenship - are significant. We're lucky to have him. Thanks, Joey! Similar list of credits and appreciation also goes for our RTH leaders and contributors!

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By CaptainKirk (anonymous) | Posted January 06, 2014 at 12:37:37

Done!

Now what about RTH, another valuable community service?

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By adrian (registered) | Posted January 06, 2014 at 13:48:38 in reply to Comment 96475

RTH currently enjoys a steady stream of income by manufacturing and selling boxing shorts to progressive political candidates: http://mackaycartoons.net/2014/01/04/213... We're fine.

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By Edward Graydon (anonymous) | Posted January 07, 2014 at 08:14:13

Where and how does someone donate to Joey?? I do not believe that a tax reciept would be given,as joey is not none profit. Joey I will donate $200 a month for one year from Graydon Investments email me to make arrangements.People only say good things about you and your site and you seem to have a good following.

Edward HC Graydon

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By MattM (registered) | Posted January 07, 2014 at 16:00:40 in reply to Comment 96484

If you click the link in the first sentence of the article "Joey Coleman needs your support" it takes you to the funding page where you can donate. There's also a monthly support page on his site here: http://joeycoleman.ca/support/

Comment edited by MattM on 2014-01-07 16:00:58

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