Monitor News & Media
It's been a pivotal year
One year ago we removed our paywall and set a new course for our organization. For a small nonprofit news organization, this was a big change. We knew our in-depth and independent reporting would be the throughline and engine for…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Nov 29, 2022
City Summit: Reflections and looking ahead
As we enter November we’re approaching the first anniversary of removing our paywall. Though it feels like a lifetime ago, this was a major, risky and mission-driven decision for our nonprofit organization. In the year that followed, we knew that…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Nov 1, 2022
New front-page features connect 'Monitor' readers with the issues shaping our city
July was a special month for the Austin Monitor on numerous fronts. Since making the bold and important decision to remove our paywall at the end of the 2021, we’ve reached nearly 150,000 new readers. Though early into our new…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Aug 16, 2022
Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites value local news but disagree on quality
Nearly seven in 10 Austinites believe that local news is important to them personally, but only 36 percent rate highly the quality of local news reporting, according to a June survey of 507 likely voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by Change…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Jul 15, 2022
Our mid-year review: Readership takes a dramatic turn up
Even though our roots go back to the mid-1990s, the Austin Monitor officially launched as a nonprofit in 2013. To some, that may not seem like a long time ago, while to others (myself included) it feels like a different…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Jul 11, 2022
Monitor’s new community-building tool helps foster accountability and trust
Earlier this month, the Austin Monitor proudly participated in Amplify Austin Day. I previously laid out why this day is so special. Today, in addition to thanking our scores of supporters, I want to go deeper on why the follow-through…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Apr 4, 2022
Subscribe to our newsletter
Amplifying the 'Austin Monitor'
Amplify Austin Day began on Wednesday, March 2, this year. This collective effort by our community to support local nonprofit organizations is so aligned with our work, scope and mission it feels like we’re twin planets orbiting the same sun. …
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Mar 3, 2022
Why now is the time to remove our paywall (and how you can help)
The Austin Monitor officially launched as a nonprofit in 2013, but our reporting roots go all the way back to the mid-’90s. We have been producing ongoing and in-depth public service journalism that covers important issues in the community for…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Nov 30, 2021
Enhancing your news experience: A first step
We know there are a lot of information and media sources that compete for your time. It seems like this number grows exponentially every year, and with the move to everything digital, we know it is important to factor in…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Nov 22, 2021
Introducing the Austin Monitor's strategic advisory council of guides
Few industries are as American as the press. Revered by the Founding Fathers as “one of the great bulwarks of liberty,” the role of the free press is literally written into the First Amendment, and its impact has proven invaluable…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Sep 23, 2021
Local news is a two-way street
I often describe the Austin Monitor as a news source that exists at the intersection of local government and community. One of the many reasons we believe this space is so important is because of the tremendous influence each side…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • Jun 29, 2021
Our decisions shape the community
I previously described elections as a “high-stakes civic intersection between information and action” – in other words, right in the Austin Monitor’s wheelhouse. When it comes to turnout, this recent special election had numerous factors stacked against it: mid-year (not…
Mission Note • By Joel Gross • May 18, 2021
