Community Leaders Launch Nonpartisan Civic Journalism Site to Inform and Engage Atlantans

ATLANTA, January 27, 2021 (Newswire.com) - Metro Atlantans have a new resource to learn about issues impacting the city and region. 

Atlanta Civic Circle (ACC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, is a bold experiment in civic journalism that will take deep dives on newsworthy topics affecting Atlanta and the region, provide tools and resources to help the community learn more about the issues and equip readers with information on how to get involved. ACC will serve as a place where the community comes together — both online and in-person — to discuss the issues and foster civic engagement. 

ACC was founded by Maria Saporta, long-time Atlanta business and civic journalist, as well as founder of SaportaReport, and Bill Bolling, a leader in the region's nonprofit community and founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The organization is supported by a strong board of directors who are passionate about helping engage a new generation to tackle important issues that affect the region's future.

ACC's initial focus areas are two of Atlanta's most pressing conversations: engaging in Democracy and the Housing Affordability crisis. The organization will expand to additional issues in the future. In this era of shrinking newsrooms and shuttered publications, ACC has a goal to support, rather than compete with other media outlets. All of its content will be free for anyone to republish, with attribution, to their readers. ACC will directly fund professional journalists and journalism projects and is committed to developing best practices and fair compensation for reporters. In addition to reporting on the issues, journalists will explore solutions and resources for readers to effect change. ACC also will host events for people who want to get even more engaged, and it will provide a calendar of upcoming meetings and events for the various focus areas.

"We are proud to provide a new way to involve Atlantans who are concerned about issues impacting their community, and we know there are many out there," said Bolling, ACC's founding board chair. "The Atlanta Civic Circle will be the go-to place for people who want to roll up their sleeves and create change in metro Atlanta." 

Board Member, Lesley Grady says, "Atlanta Civic Circle is committed to nurturing deep, meaningful relationships in every nook and corner of the region. Our goal is to strengthen the region's civic infrastructure by informing and engaging residents around the issues they most care about."

ACC is able to realize its vision thanks to the generous support of several founding donors, including the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

ACC will collaborate with other nonpartisan organizations that support the same issues through content and community engagement events. Current partnerships include Georgia Humanities, the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Atlanta Press Club's Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. 

For more information, visit atlantaciviccircle.org or on social media at @AtlCivicCircle.

Source: Atlanta Civic Circle