October 18, 2009
Dear Readers
You might have noticed we've been quiet in the past week. So what's up? First, we're not planning to go anywhere. But we've come to a crossroads. The economy took its toll on the El Paso Media Group, of which Newspaper Tree is a part, in the last year. During that time, NPT continued to grow editorially, with support from management, staff, and so many other contributors.
We focused on the public corruption investigation, going to court and writing stories to force open the federal court system so the community could learn more about the processes involved in what likely is the most complex and far-reaching case involving politics and business in El Paso. We covered the Drug War being fought openly on the streets of Juarez, and more quietly in El Paso. We published stories about ongoing El Paso and regional politics and policy, including regular coverage of the Texas Legislature during its session this spring.
But the business, quite frankly, did not keep pace.
So here's what we can say. NPT staff, me and David Crowder, took vacation time starting a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, that vacation has turned into an indefinite furlough (although it's hard for us to stop; we've posted a few items on the home page and blog -- Friday's announcement by state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh that he would not seek another term, for example).
We're not sure when NPT will be up and running at full speed again, but we hope it won't be long.
Rest assured, the NPT project, which has evolved from its inception five years ago, is far from dead.
Each turn of the wheel has given NPT a slightly different identity, but our view of it is that there is something at the core that has stayed the same -- a commitment to home-grown and independent analysis of the El Paso region, and the desire that through honest, passionate newsgathering and story-telling we are able to add to the community discourse and promote good public policy.
We believe that better things lie ahead. Until then, we ask that you stay tuned. We'll let you know as soon as we know. In the meantime, if you'd like to talk about it or help out, you can reach us at npt@epmediagroup.com or call (915) 227-0360.
Sito Negron, editor
David Crowder, assistant editor