Welcome to 2023 and the beginning of the BND’s 166th year as a news organization
Good morning, and Happy New Year!
I want to take a moment today to thank you for supporting the Belleville News-Democrat and renew our commitment to serving the community as we mark our 165th anniversary.
That’s right. It was 165 years ago today - on Jan. 16, 1858 - when the Rev. Williamson F. Boyakin, a Baptist preacher, published the first edition of the Belleville Weekly Democrat.
While this news organization has certainly changed over and over again since those pre-Civil War days, one thing that has remained steadfast is our sense of duty to provide independent local journalism to this region.
A sampling of our 2022 coverage illustrates the kind local journalism you will continue to see in 2023 and beyond.
Part of our mission is to help and to make a difference. Coverage of the blizzard-like weather just a few weeks ago is one example. A team of six BND journalists covered the storm - before, during and after - providing live updates at bnd.com so you could stay abreast of the news and safely navigate the bitter cold and snow. Along the way, we posted useful information like how to prepare for subzero temperatures, how to stay safe and where to go if you need a place to get warm. And we published explainers, like why you should care about wind chill and what it all means.
Another example is last summer’s flash flooding. Besides frequently updated breaking news, our team reported on the human impact of the flooding and what some residents in East St. Louis believed was governments’ slow response in getting the help they needed. We asked questions of officials on behalf of those victims.
Watchdogging for you
Keeping an eye on government officials and institutions, digging deep into community issues and equipping you with information to help you participate in civic life also highlighted our 2022 coverage and will continue this year.
Just a few examples:
Historic treasures or unsafe eyesores? Belleville struggles to deal with aging architecture Readers asked: Why are so many old buildings, some of them historic, falling apart, and what’s being done about it? There’s high community interest in Belleville architecture, the health and ownership of buildings and related topics, which we plan to continue covering extensively this year.
The end of IL cash bail could take a bite out of St. Clair County’s budget — and yours The end of cash bail in Illinois has been a hot topic, with lots of confusion, questions and misinformation circulating about the new law. We took deep dives to sort out the details and report to you on what it will mean, and not mean, to the people of Illinois.
Family begged for help with son’s mental illness. Now he’s charged with Belleville murder We brought to light the story of a mentally impaired man whose family pleaded for long-term care help before he hurt someone or himself. The man ended up killing a friend.
Southwest Illinois nursing homes with COVID infection errors had same issues for years This longer term investigation was a key chapter in our ongoing coverage of how the nursing home industry performed in our region during the height of the pandemic. It included revelatory findings, plus a custom-made searchable database designed for readers to be able to find out details of how local nursing homes handled infection control during the pandemic.
Did East St. Louis cop spray mace on sleeping, jailed teen? Authorities investigate We obtained a copy of a video from inside the East St. Louis jail that purportedly shows a police officer going into a cell while a young detainee was sleeping and spraying him with mace.
2022 Voter Guide We know one of our most important jobs is to give you information to help you make voting decisions, and another is holding candidates accountable for their promises. Our voter guide is the foundation of that priority coverage, along with many other articles with practical information to help you exercise your responsibilities as a citizen.
New and expanded coverage in 2022
We also launched new initiatives last year with you in mind.
One example was the addition of a service journalism desk that provides useful information to help you navigate your daily life, deepens our reporting on big breaking news and more. I mentioned some examples earlier in this column, but there have been literally dozens of others. In fact, since April, we have posted more than 250 high utility articles.
You asked for more high school sports and we delivered in 2022, starting this past fall with more roundups, polls, photos and other content. We continue to build on that coverage in 2023.
Last spring, we launched a new monthly feature, a restaurant inspection database that you can use to see how your favorite place to eat measured up when the St. Clair County Health Department came to visit.
I’m proud of the BND team, which works hard every day to bring you this kind of coverage. Our team includes BND staffers Lexi Cortes, Todd Eschman, Jennifer Green, Derik Holtmann, Meredith Howard, Mike Koziatek, Ahmad Lathan, Teri Maddox, Carolyn P. Smith and Garen Vartanian, plus our contributing correspondents, photojournalists and content partners.
Your support, feedback and ideas sustain us
Our team plans to continue bringing you strong coverage in 2023. You can help shape that coverage by sharing your ideas, suggestions and feedback.
Are there subjects or issues you would like us to focus on? What can we do to strengthen our coverage? If you were the editor, how would you make our coverage better?
Please share your ideas and feedback with me at jcouch@bnd.com.
You can also pass along confidential tips to the BND. Some of our best local journalism over the years started with a tip or question from a reader about possible official malfeasance, wasteful spending or corruption.
You can share confidential tips with me or Senior Editor Todd Eschman (teschman@bnd.com) or by calling our tips line at 618-239-2500.
Support from the community has helped sustain this news organization since its founding. We still count on your support today.
Thanks for reading the BND and sharing your ideas. We couldn’t do it without you.
