When Hoptown Chronicle launched more than three years ago, we had no idea how much it would grow or how much support it would receive.
Since then, our early emphasis on Hopkinsville’s downtown revival has evolved as we focus on stories that explore crucial issues in the community. We strive to flex our institutional knowledge and provide context and background on stories about economic development, local governance, health, education, the arts and history.
As we continue to grow, one thing has remained the same: our dedication to providing fair, fact-based reporting for people who care about Hopkinsville and Christian County. We exist because we want to see the community thrive socially, culturally and economically.
As a reader-first newsroom, we believe it is important to be clear and transparent with our audience about our values and how we make decisions. Because of that, we’re using this column to answer some of the questions you may have about who we are, what we do what and what goes into our decision-making about the news.
How do we decide what to cover?
As an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) news organization, Hoptown Chronicle is committed to covering issues that are often overlooked or misunderstood. Our mission is to provide fact-based reporting that helps residents make informed decisions and better understand the community.
We devote our attention to local government, especially in areas that affect downtown business and development. We also focus on stories that raise awareness of business, arts, culture, and history that are unique to Hopkinsville. Additionally, our coverage occasionally includes issues related to social justice, education, health and wellness, agriculture and the environment.
How is Hoptown Chronicle different from other news organizations?
We’re here to provide public service journalism you won’t find anywhere else, which is why we don’t typically cover stories already being done by other local, traditional newsrooms. We believe in collaborating with, rather than competing against, other news outlets as we strive to build a better and more sustainable news ecosystem. That’s part of the reason you won’t typically find coverage of things like crime reports, court hearings and high school sports on the site.
While we don’t devote our resources to covering state and national news, we think it’s important to help you stay up to date on these issues. That is why, shortly after we launched, we established a content-sharing agreement with Kentucky public radio stations WKMS, WEKU and WKYU.
When our values align, we also supplement our coverage with reporting from The Daily Yonder, The Conversation, Kentucky Health News and other news organizations. Hoptown Chronicle editors decide what stories are republished from other sources and always do so by considering what news is important and relevant to Hoptown Chronicle readers.
Across all our coverage, we work to advance the public good and promote a respectful dialogue among citizens.
Who works at Hoptown Chronicle?
Hoptown Chronicle currently has two newsroom employees. Most of our original reporting is done by co-founder and editor Jennifer P. Brown. Jennifer has been writing about Hopkinsville for 35 years — first as a reporter and then editor for the Kentucky New Era.
Jennifer co-chairs the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky and is governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society. She also is a co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. Jennifer earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Murray State University and her MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College in Baltimore. She lives in Hopkinsville with her husband, John, and her dog, Summer.
Julia Hunter, who co-founded Hoptown Chronicle with Jennifer, serves as engagement editor. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, editor and association executive for 15 years, and previously worked as a reporter and news editor at the Kentucky New Era. Julia earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern Indiana. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her boyfriend, Kevin, and her cats, Rizzo and Gabe.
Hoptown Chronicle also works with contributors and freelancers to provide additional local reporting. So far, that has included Zirconia Alleyne Vansauwa, former editor of the Kentucky New Era; Toni Riley, longtime Hopkinsville resident; Alissa Keller, executive director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County; Martha White, a flower farmer and retired librarian; Aly Adler, a freshman at Hopkinsville Community College who is considering a career in journalism; several employees of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library; and other area residents.
What’s the organization’s history?
Co-founders Jennifer P. Brown and Julia Hunter launched Hoptown Chronicle’s website in June 2019 as a new nonprofit dedicated to fact-based reporting in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It grew out of an experiment called Hoptown Central, which started on Facebook in November 2018 when Brown reported on a real estate auction where several landmark buildings in the town’s old business district were sold. Hoptown Chronicle obtained its 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS and became a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News shortly before launching the website.
How is Hoptown Chronicle funded?
As an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, Hoptown Chronicle relies on donors to support our journalism. As a matter of policy, funders exercise no control over Hoptown Chronicle’s editorial decisions, and all gifts of $25 or more are publicly disclosed.
Still have questions?
You can contact us at editor@hoptownchronicle.org or julia@hoptownchronicle.org or 270-484-1145. You can also reach out through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
