independent journalism

Iowa journalist learns embarrassing lesson

(Editors Note: This is a cautionary tale especially relevant to several San Diego County pseudo-media outlets who will go unnamed that run and hide with one, or no, source stories while sucking up independent journalism oxygen giving local journalism a bad name.) Hoodwinked, fooled, deceived, misled, bamboozled: those are just a few words to describe what a teenager did to a community journalist who has…


LION spotlight: Escondido Grapevine

Q&A with LION member Dan Weisman, publisher of the Escondido Grapevine in California. For more visit LION Publishers. By Matt DeRienzo | Jun. 2, 2017 1. When did your site launch, what geography does it cover and why was it founded? We launched the site in October 2015, covering the communities of Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center, and surrounding areas in San Diego County. The site also…


Modest proposal: Support The Grapevine

The Escondido Grapevine website has proven successful, reaching 500 to 6,000 visitors daily, and gaining national recognition for quality and direction. Now, it’s time to do more, but that takes community sponsorship. Sponsorship ads can be successful on many levels. Sponsors receive maximum and positive community exposure, reaching local residents in the most popular and credible online format available today. Aside from getting out the…


Say G’Day to our May print issue

So, here it is our next issue, hitting the streets of Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center, Vista. Online, aside from the non-local, San Diego Union Tribune, The Grapevine has more daily page views than any North County media source. In fact, it has 15 to 20 times more daily page views than the nearest competitor(s). As has been found to be the best community news…