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Edmond reporter
NonDoc reporter Joe Tomlinson will be covering Edmond for the 2022-2023 year as a member of the Report for America corps. (NonDoc)

After a national media conglomerate decided to close The Edmond Sun in 2020, our newsroom began having conversations about the longterm implications of Edmond losing its primary civic journalism publication and whether NonDoc could find the funding to step up and help fill the void.

Following the conclusion of the February 2021 Edmond mayoral debate we co-hosted with other media outlets, four of our governing board members and several members of our team stood outside of a University of Central Oklahoma auditorium and found strong consensus: Yes, Edmond residents deserve to have a publication dedicate resources to covering their city’s civic sector; and yes, we were going to make that happen.

More than a year later, today is an exciting day for us here at NonDoc, because we formally get to launch this project. Thanks to support from Report for America, our former intern, Joe Tomlinson, has joined our team full time as our Edmond reporter to cover the city’s civic sector. Joe has already been producing content about Edmond since March, but today Report for America has given us the green light to announce Joe, publicize our efforts and begin the fundraising necessary to sustain this position.

To that end, we are seeking to raise $3,000 this week to launch our broader fundraising campaign around sustaining our Edmond position. If you can chip in today, please click here to donate online or find information about mailing in a check. Every donation is greatly appreciated.

Ways to follow along

To receive NonDoc’s top headlines by text message, sign up here. (NonDoc)

At NonDoc, our mission involves producing and distributing quality journalism with context that enables civic involvement. Similarly, our vision is to sustain reporting on under-covered civic issues while increasing public knowledge and encouraging public dialogue.

Edmond is Oklahoma’s fifth-largest city, according to the latest census numbers, with a population of almost 95,000 and growing. A handful of local outlets, including Edmond Life and Leisure and Edmond Outlook, help do the vital job of bringing information to the community. But, with the demise of The Edmond Sun, Edmond has been left without a publication doing the daily journalistic work a newspaper might provide.

Between monitoring the Edmond City Council, Edmond Public Schools and various other public bodies that govern elements of Edmond life, Joe will have his hands full working as a community journalist in an interesting and important community.

Of course, community journalism creates a foundation for investigative journalism. So as Joe spends the next few months meeting stakeholders, learning about past municipal decisions and chronicling the first draft of history, please do not hesitate to reach out and introduce yourself. You can email him here.

Additionally, here are a few ways you can keep up with Joe’s work covering Edmond:

Plus, if you know of any groups or organizations that would like to have Joe come and introduce himself, all you have to do is ask.

Can you spare a cup of coffee per month?

Edmond
NonDoc Media has a dedicated reporter covering the civic sector of Edmond, Oklahoma. (Michael Duncan)

As Joe begins this new journey — and as you prepare to read more about your important community on NonDoc — please remember that our goal is to sustain this Edmond reporter position. That’s not always easy. As a nonprofit newsroom, it requires community support.

Our funding from Report for America provides only a decreasing percentage of financial support for this Edmond reporting project over three years. That means the bulk of the fundraising necessary for this endeavor must come from charitable sponsors and individual donors, like yourself.

Will you help us hit our $3,000 fundraising goal this week? If your finances allow it, please consider signing up as a recurring monthly donor. If you can spare the cost of one cup of coffee, becoming a $5-per-month donor makes a big impact. Donating $20 per month helps even more.

Overall, please remember that NonDoc’s content will always be free to read. In addition, our content can be republished in print publications for free, thanks to ongoing sponsorship from Hilliary Communications. We are looking forward to partnering with and supporting other local media to make sure Edmond residents have access to information about their community.