At his request, I happily wrote a letter of recommendation for Kirk Caraway, founder, owner and publisher of Carson Now, Carson City, Nev., for a prestigious Knight Fellowship at Stanford University this year. (I previously worked with some leaders of the Fellowship and am very familiar with the program. Kirk’s project is a “natural” fit).
Today, I was pleased to learn that Kirk was one of 13 who were selected out of 134 applicants.
“Caraway will test a revenue generation system for local news websites combining advertising and social media,” according to the Knight Fellowship press release.
More information is here. “The Knight Fellowships supports innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in journalism by supporting experienced, committed journalists with ideas for improving their craft and the news industry,” as its website states.
I previously have applauded Kirk’s efforts to launch a free website at Carson Now, competing with the Carson City newspaper owned by Swift Communications (now a “paywall,” just like its sister newspaper, The Union).
The background is here.
In the past, Kirk’s efforts have been belittled by some existing Swift newspaper executives. The editor/publisher of The Union was among those who mocked Carson Now in Facebook postings.
The internet is shaking up the way we communicate in the foothills and Sierra, and Kirk’s Carson Now is a shining example.
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