New Roots News

New Roots News is a nonprofit, independent online public journalism organization that produces community-based news.

The members of New Roots aim to: inform the citizens of St. Petersburg by covering local news that’s overlooked by other local news organizations; focus on positive actions and events that strengthen community ties rather than tear them apart; provide every citizen with an outlet to be heard; and provide an online forum that engages members of the community in public discussion, and in turn, enhances public opinion.

Further, we want to bring together the community of St. Petersburg by training active citizens in journalism and multimedia production, so they have the tools to cover and produce local stories that not only interest them, but deserve exposure, and have the potential to inspire change and unity and encouraging residents from all pockets of the community to speak.

We at New Roots love our community and are committed to enhancing public life by getting together, exchanging opinions, and hitting the pavement and talking to people. We believe that national and international change begin at the community level, and we want to inspire people to be a part of positive, local activity that affects and inspires those changes. It is through citizen participation and user-generated content that New Roots thrives and progresses.

New Roots and its mission to enhance public life through civic journalism have developed naturally, and without the need of a strict journalistic body – all it’s needed is the forming of relationships, and the sharing of knowledge between people with a common vision: people who want to see change in St. Petersburg; people who want to be part of an embracing source for information; and people who realize the only way to accomplish the previous desires is through interest, intercommunication, awareness and action.

Mantra: To Inform, Involve and Educate

Mission Statement: To inform the public by providing a source for relevant local news. To educate our contributors by training them in journalism and multimedia production. To involve our community by recruiting members to tell stories through our online forum for user generated content, and by engaging residents in productive public discourse.