Hello,

It’s been a challenging year for us at Planet Princeton, but I am also optimistic about the future and am looking forward to 2024.

The year was challenging for many reasons. People often seem very polarized, even at the local level. Access to information and public records is also an ongoing struggle, and unfortunately, some elected officials are fighting to keep more things from the public. Officials seem to forget that public records belong to the public, and that the government is there to work in the public’s interest. That requires transparency.

2023 was also challenging for me as I tried to get back to a “normal” life after the loss of my mother. As I’ve now learned, grief does not fit into a neat timetable. The end of the year was also frustrating because I became sick a few days after Thanksgiving and my cold morphed into bronchitis that required two rounds of antibiotics and steroids. I’ve been avoiding indoor gatherings and parties because I’m hearing so many reports about people getting COVID, RSV, or a cold with a lingering cough. I am hoping we will all have a healthier 2024.

I’ve been preoccupied this year with trying to plot a path forward for Planet Princeton. I’ve run the website since 2011. So many readers have been supportive in good times and bad, and I appreciate it so much. I love this community I’ve called home for almost three decades. But I’ve faced burn out and it has been difficult to make a living covering local news. I’ve also been concerned about the future of Planet Princeton if something happens to me, or when I finally decide to retire (queue drumroll here)

No, I’m not going anywhere and Planet Princeton is not shutting down. But something has to change to make this sustainable. To that end, in 2023 I formed a nonprofit news organization called the New Jersey Center for Nonprofit Journalism. I believe journalism as a public service, as opposed to a profit-making entity, is the future of sustainable media organizations. Our new nonprofit organization has just recently launched The Jersey Vindicator (https://jerseyvindicator.org), a statewide investigative news outlet. Accountability reporting is one of the most critical needs in our news ecosystem. Several statewide news sites do a good job of covering policy issues, but there is not one that is dedicated to investigative reporting, at least not one without a paywall.

When I tell people about the new initiative, local readers ask what will happen to Planet Princeton. Again, Planet Princeton will continue. I received offers recently to buy the website and in the end, declined them. I hope that one day Planet Princeton will be owned by our new nonprofit organization so that it can live on and grow.

In the meantime, our plan for 2024 for Planet Princeton is to hire a few more freelance writers and one or two part-time staffers to help us manage the website and online community. So much is going on in the Princeton area these days, particularly when it comes to planning and development. We have identified a few promising people to work with us in 2024, but if you know of anyone who might be a good fit, please have them reach out to me.

In case you are curious to know more about what we’ve been up to with The Jersey Vindicator and how it may also benefit Planet Princeton:

• I graduated from the Google News Pre-Launch Lab on Dec. 19. The lab was a full-time job in itself, but it equipped me with better tools to build a sustainable news nonprofit and improve how I run Planet Princeton. We were one of 25 participants in the lab and were chosen from more than 170 applicants.
• The Vindicator is launching a program called County Chroniclers to document county commission meetings across the state. If you know potential volunteers, please share this email. Volunteers must be able to take notes at one county commission meeting a month. Read more about the program on our website.​
• We have been covering proposals to change the state’s Open Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act. Public records and the Sunshine Law will continue to be key topics in 2024. See our latest story about a Republican legislator’s attempt to restrict access to police body-worn camera footage.

The Vindicator’s mission - We aim to tell stories no one else is telling about the way government functions in the state, in an effort to spark change that improves the quality of life for residents.

I’m working on better understanding the information needs of Princeton area residents as we chart our path forward for the local news site. Right now I see our mission for 2024 as making Princeton residents smarter about what is happening in their community and informing them about events that will enhance their lives in the community.

If you would like to share feedback about topics you would like covered or if you have a news tip, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2024.

With gratitude,

Krystal Knapp
Founder
Planet Princeton