Today begins a new chapter in the history of the Tucson Citizen and tucsoncitizen.com. Call it www.tucsoncitizen.com, version 2.0, if you will.
We’re moving from a newspaper-based online site to one that is opinion-based, and it’s a work in progress. Bottom line: We want to engage you in this daily community discussion.
The tucsoncitizen.com team will create a “town hall’ site for the community to explore and debate the hottest topics each day. Journalists Mark Evans and Ryn Gargulinski will host what we anticipate will be a rousing debate. They will offer opinion and commentary about a wide range of topics and invite everyone to join in a discussion.
Think of it as talk radio for a newspaper-loving audience.
We encourage you to post your comments on version 2.0 at the end of this story.
Mark and Ryn are veteran journalists who have a passion for news and information and who aren’t afraid to offer an opinion or two, or three, about anything. Just ask them.
Mark joined the Citizen in January 2007 as an assistant city editor, leading a team of government and criminal justice reporters. He also teaches reporting public affairs at the University of Arizona School of Journalism. He’s lived in Tucson since 1992 and was the editor of a weekly paper for 10 years before joining the Citizen.
Mark is an expert on the state’s public records laws and perversely spends his free time watching CSPAN, reading political blogs and worrying about the chances of next year’s Wildcats’ teams (pick a sport, doesn’t matter, he’ll worry about its chances).
He’s eager to engage the Tucson community in debate on anything — government and politics, the Wildcats, why the Raiders will rise again, the nature of the universe or why Tucson will never run out of water.
Mark believes opinions based on knowledge, accurate data and benevolence are invaluable. They provide perspective, meaning, explanation and understanding. If the community comes together and helps the new Citizen Web site provide perspective and understanding, no matter the topic, the public benefits.
Ryn took her seat at the Citizen in January 2007, after newspaper gigs in southern Oregon, northern California, New Mexico and New York City. Journalism is just one of her many passions, as she is also an avid artist, poet, performer and animal lover.
Her work has been called wacky, whimsical and downright weird and she promises to bring readers those same types of views.
Mark and Ryn want to know what you think – about the issues of the day and about how we can make this Web site work for you. We’re listening.
P.S.: For those of you out there who still crave reading the newspaper, too, you can read a Tucson Citizen editorial weekly in the Arizona Daily Star.