ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

Two years ago we launched a new experiment in Hawaii public affairs reporting: an online news site and community staffed by reporter-hosts who asked tough questions, and didn’t stop asking until they got answers. We also hoped to foster civil dialogue about Hawaii’s biggest challenges, informed by investigative reports, fact checks and community voices.

At the time, a number of people told us it wouldn’t work. That either we wouldn’t get access to newsmakers, or that no one would read our reporting. They told us that we just didn’t know how things were done in Hawaii.

Well, two years in, we hope you see that we’ve proven them wrong. Our stories have broken news that others weren’t reporting, and they’ve affected legislation and policy makers across the state. Our coverage has helped usher in a new era of transparency and accountability in Hawaii government.

It hasn’t been without its bumps and bruises, but we knew we’d be traveling the same tough road that has always awaited the trailblazers — the great investigative journalists, the whistleblowers and the people of conscience who have aways challenged the status quo.

We think discussion about the people’s business in Hawaii is in much better shape today than it was two years ago, and we hope you agree.

We are trying to help change Hawaii for the better, but we can’t do it alone. We need your help. When you support Civil Beat, you’re making an investment in your community.

We hope you will join the Civil Beat Ohana.

Pierre Omidyar, Publisher
Patti Epler, Editor
Sara Lin, Assistant Editor