As we reflect on this year...BuzzFlash has grown
Note: This editorial replaced our home page from 9 PM on December 31, 2005 to 12 PM on January 1, 2006.
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL
Don't panic. Yes, our homepage looks different today. We're not on vacation, nor has BuzzFlash been hacked. We haven't lost our minds ... yet. We're just doing something a little special today for our BuzzFlash readers.
Even as we speak, BuzzFlash is collecting headlines and stories we know are important to you. BuzzFlash is still providing news and commentary 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, just like we've always done since we started in May of 2000, and we will continue to do so.
But for the next 15 hours until noon on January 1, we are hiding the links on the BuzzFlash homepage because there is something we want to tell you. (Yes, for those who REALLY NEED their Buzz, we'll show you how to get to the homepage, but you have to read this first).
As we reflect on this year we're humbled by how much we've accomplished together as a community and how much BuzzFlash has grown.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
We are so grateful to each and every one of you for reading BuzzFlash. And we want you to know your support is making a difference.
As you can imagine, there are some days that one injustice, or one lie from Bush or Cheney, or some distortion in the mainstream media particularly galls one of our editors to stomp about the office shouting, "Can you believe this?! How can they get away with this?!" We each take turns, so when a rant begins, the rest of the team can utter "I know, I know." Sound familiar? Maybe you've had some experience like this yourself.
But something else happens at BuzzFlash that, like our logo, sends a bolt of energy through the office electrifying us and reminding us of our shared mission. It's when a BuzzFlash reader writes us an email like this one we received from "Rich" a couple weeks ago:
Thank you Buzz. I don't know what I would do without you. You give me hope. Since I found BuzzFlash, I know I'm not the only one who feels our country slipping right underneath our feet. You've introduced me to an entire community of BuzzFlash readers who also feel our country is worth fighting for. We don't have to apologize for our values and our vision for a just and peaceful world. Most of all BuzzFlash has shown we can be bold and irreverent. You make me laugh and bring a smile to my face every day. And lately, that smile means a lot. I'm not lucky enough to get no-bid contracts like Halliburton. I'm sending $25 – I wish it could be a lot more. My wife and I talked about it and we decided that even though money is tight, we believe in what you're doing. Bless you. It's worth it for the smile you give us every day, and lately it means a lot.
What does one say after reading a letter like that, except that our readers inspire us and bring a smile to our faces, too.
At BuzzFlash we have a different relationship with our readers. We don't accept advertising of any kind. We don't see you as consumers. We are kindred spirits with our readers - really, our partners. Together we have built a little old public square for the twenty-first century, firmly rooted in the foundations of democracy. Disguised as a news web site, BuzzFlash is a place to speak, learn, debate, laugh, rejuvenate our spirits, share our vision of America together, embrace irreverence, to rant when Bush's lies become overwhelming, to scrutinize the media when they come up short, and to promote our values of honesty, accountability, open mindedness, equality, and justice.
BuzzFlash is part of a movement that is redefining media as we know it, and you are helping to make it possible.
So today we want to tell you how your contributions have helped BuzzFlash achieve so much.
- BuzzFlash is a true community. In 2005, we've posted over 500 Reader
and Guest Contributions on our site, many as our headline
stories.
- The BuzzFlash
Mailbag is perhaps the most engaging, thoughtful and
comprehensive reader-driven forum on progressive politics on the
Internet. We believe, and others tell us, that our Mailbag writers
are insightful, honest, funny, sincere, direct, and uniquely well
informed. And no two are alike. Not only do they keep us on our
toes, they inspire us.
- BuzzFlash
Interviews are second to none on the Internet, providing
depth and substance as an alternative to mainstream media's soundbites
and punditry. This year we've interviewed such stalwarts as Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Congressman
John Conyers (MI), Congressman Pete Stark (CA), journalist Barbara
Ehrenreich, and the unstoppable Cindy Sheehan. Graham Allison,
the founding dean of the modern Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard, has discussed the threat of nuclear terrorism with BuzzFlash;
Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit, explained
the Bush administration's failure to understand and effectively
fight terrorism; and Larry Diamond, a former advisor to Paul Bremer,
addressed the colossal failure of the Bush administration in invading
Iraq and the repeated hubris and incompetence with the occupation
and post-war reconstruction.
- Buzz TV is
here! We are proud that BuzzFlash is now featured as the closing "humorous
and irreverent take on the news" on the television program "SourceCode" that
airs on Free Speech TV (available on the DISH Satellite Network, Channel
9415).
- In June, BuzzFlash launched the "Wings
of Justice" award, a weekly honor that recognizes
individuals for acts of truth, courage and justice that help protect
our democracy. And in the true spirit of democracy, it is BuzzFlash
readers who nominate candidates for the award.
- BuzzFlash pulls no punches on our "GOP
Hypocrite of the Week!" Nothing gets our hackles up
at BuzzFlash like the two-faced republicans and conservatives who
lie, deceive, play loose with the facts, hide from their record,
say one thing and do another, and forsake truth and decency when
it's expedient. BuzzFlash says, no way, not on our watch. GOP hypocrites
have their own enablers in the mainstream press. It's our job to
call them out on their hypocrisy.
- BuzzFlash Radio
Ads allow our readers and fellow progressives to purchase
radio airtime and place an issue front and center on your local
radio station. The 7 prepared issue ads were written, produced,
and voiced-over by our contributor, Robert Millman, so all you
have to do is hold a bake sale and buy some airtime! BuzzFlash
radio ads give our readers the opportunity to fight back against
Clear Channel and Fox News by highlighting the truth about issues
that matter.
- BuzzFlash is helping to build an extensive
market for Progressive Books, DVDs and Music. We can't
let the right-wing shills blare their propaganda through subsidized
book tours and "infotainment." So BuzzFlash is identifying and
promoting pro-democracy books, movies, documentaries, and music.
You are helping to make this revolution in knowledge happen when
you choose a BuzzFlash premium.
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Last, but certainly not least, are the BuzzFlash headlines. With the help of many news readers and knowledgeable experts, who send us a steady stream of News Tips from hundreds of diverse sources, we link to (and let you search) breaking news, analysis, opinion, and investigative reports, bringing a wealth of information to people who hunger for the truth. Our goal is to present a more accurate picture of politics and our world than can be found in the mainstream media. Of course, we have some fun with our headlines, too. It's just our way of "interpreting," while leaving you to be the final judge.
Quite an accomplishment, don't you think, for a little progressive news web site that started with only 34 readers back in May of 2000 and now provides as many as 170,000 visitor sessions each day (according to Urchin)?
Together, we've built BuzzFlash into a powerful voice, and we're thankful to you for supporting us every step of the way.
This New Year's Eve, in between champagne toasts, we hope you take some time to reconnect with the things that you're grateful for and the things that really matter to you. We hope for each and every one of you that next year will be better than the last. We wish this for our country and for people everywhere.
2006 is going to be a big year for our country, especially with the burgeoning movement to bring the troops home from Iraq and the coming midterm elections that will test whether Americans will hold the Republicans and the Bush administration accountable.
It's going to be a big year for BuzzFlash, too. We hope you stick with us for the ride.
On this New Year's Eve, we feel that optimism and opportunity are in the air. We also want you to know that BuzzFlash is here for the long haul. Taking back our country may not happen overnight, but we believe the knowledge and the community we're building with BuzzFlash is helping to take us there.
We wish you and your families peace and happiness on this special night.
In humble gratitude,
Happy New Year's from BuzzFlash.com
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL
P.S. If you'd like to share your thoughts with us, click here.
P.P.S. Don't worry, the headlines, if you really need or want to get some buzz, are right here. Otherwise, we'll catch up with you soon.