Non-Profit in the Spotlight

When the Internet began its exponential growth from a seedling to a colossal network, the demand for daily, quick reads increased. Readers were consuming the amount of information coming over the Internet faster than journalists could write it. This resulted in the down-sizing of the industry, and some of the causalities were investigative journalists. That's where Aspen Journalism, a non -profit local news organization, comes in. A handful of locally acclaimed, freelance journalists cover key topics in the Roaring Fork Valley: Water, Land, Education, Economics and the Ski Industry. Founder and Director, Brent Gardner-Smith, and Advisory Board Member, Andy Stone, speak. 

Visit AspenJournalism.org to learn more about Aspen Journalism. 

Aspen Journalism might be young, only into its 4th year, but the non-profit organization has already established itself in the valley's media family. What sets Aspen Journalism apart from the daily newspapers, news channels and public radio stations is the dedication of time and resources into the stories produced. Founder and Director, Brent Gardner-Smith explains why the organization puts such an emphasis on in-depth reporting and the key topics the organization focuses on. Board President, Tim McFlynn, also contributes. 

Visit the Aspen Journalism website to learn more:

www.AspenJournalism.org

Three years ago, longtime Aspen local and well-known journalist, Brent Gardner-Smith, looked at the news landscape in the valley and determined it was lacking in investigative stories.   With that in mind, he launched Aspen Journalism. The model of a non-profit news organization in the Roaring Fork Valley was something Gardner-Smith envisioned in grad school, and established after an internship with Pro Publica, one of the nation's largest independent news agencies. Board President Tim McFlynn also contributes in the first part of Aspen Public Radio's Non-Proift in the Spotlight. 

Visit AspenJournalism.org to learn more, read stories and meet the team. 

Chris Tribble, founder and director of Carbondale's True Media Foundation, discusses the future of media and how his foundation is working to educate students in new technology while encouraging the art of good storytelling though video media. In April, students in the after-school program, BeHeard!, are going to film and broadcast a live panel discussing the effects of legal marijuana and its impact on teenagers. This production is in collaboration with Youth Zone. Dana Marlatt, board secretary and administrator of True Media, and Patricia Petit-Blair, a student filmmaker with BeHeard!, also share details about the live broadcast. 

Learn more about the True Media Foundation. 

Terra Martellaro is a former student of True Media Foundation's after-school program, BeHeard!. She recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with a focus on filmmaking. She shares her favorite memories and projects from the BeHeard! program, and how the skills taught in the program have helped her in the professional world of film media. Her journey of filmmaking has taken her from the Aspen Institute's late Environment Forum to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. True Media Foundation founder and director, Chris Tribble, also joins. 

Learn more about the True Media Foundation and the BeHeard! program.