2021 February

How Edenton’s 19th-century publication came back. (Also the Who, What, When, Where, Why…)

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, actually not.  It was 10:48 on the morning of January 12, 2021, when Edenton’s Kim Ringeisen pressed SEND and emailed a manifesto to a few close friends in town. It opened with this:

Democracy benefits from an informed and engaged public. The effort is based on fact, science, and be data-driven. … There needs to be an amplification of common sense and fact-based information for the citizens of the county.

Kim went on to elaborate on what he specifically thought the value of a new hometown publication would be and how it could become a community-supported endeavor, relying on citizen journalists in all townships in Chowan County.

Edenton Gazette is grateful for your interest and support!

Citizen and Civic journalism are key elements in our coverage and understanding of the issues that shape current laws, policies, and ultimately, the collective priorities for those who call Chowan county home. 

It is important to hear from community members about important issues happening in Chowan County communities that might not be visible to other community members and to increase the awareness of available resources in Chowan County.  

We are focused on bringing first-person storytelling about how Chowan County citizens are impacted or are enabled by local, state, and national policy. We will do this with a focus on answering common questions, clarifying the issues, enabling improved civic understanding, production of personal essays & short videos, and more. 

Additionally, citizen / civic journalism will help capture our collective experience, that we can contribute to the historical record in a meaningful manner. To achieve our goals, we will focus on the following areas:

• Increase civic awareness and participation in democratic engagement
• Continual public involvement with government
• Increase citizen/student journalism in areas affecting their communities
• Editorial Independence

Our Values

• Learning and growing through community engagement.
• Reflecting on Chowan county citizens and how daily life is shaped.
• Sharing the fact-based lectern with people of Chowan County.
• Supporting and collaborating with others to better inform Chowan County
• Advocating the collective values of Chowan County

We look forward to partnering with you on creating a better informed community and engagement concerning issues important to Chowan County and Edenton.

On February 26, at 3:11 PM, in a personal post on Senator Bob Steinburg’s personal Facebook page, he called to action the following;

“Folks- you better start getting involved in your local schools;  and schools- get back to what we are paying you to do- teaching our students academics! We will handle the social issues in our homes.”   He started his post off by stating a concerned grandparent called him upset, that his sixth grade grandson was asked by a teacher to play the part of a transgender in a school virtual teaching exercise.”

Personal Facebook – Senator Bob Steinberg

This assertion has since been investigated and found that no reference to sexuality or sexual orientation in the play by the Superintendent of Tyrrell County Public Schools. 

An update has been posted to this article here; TYRRELL COUNTY SCHOOLS RESPOND TO FACEBOOK POST CONCERNS.

After seeing the impact of false or misleading information we are exposed to daily, we decided to create a platform that leads with facts and data with the goal of informing and engaging locally.

Becoming a patron you’re directly supporting the effort and development of programs that are community desired and asked for. We will be primarily supported through community funding, allowing us to be closely aligned with the community which we serve.

A key tenet to our effort is being able to take complex topics and create clarity so citizens are better informed and with this clearly, we hope, better engaged.

We hope you enjoy being part of this community effort and will join us in developing a more perfect union.

The Edenton Gazette Team