Behind the Desk in Local News

A little more than two-and-a-half years ago, I signed up to join a historical walk around part of the former Naval Air Station with the Alameda Post’s historian Dennis Evanosky and publisher Adam Gillitt. I love walking and I am interested in local history, but to be honest, I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to meet Adam in person to find out if he would be interested in seeing my resume and some of my “clips” (that’s journalist jargon for previously published articles). I had seen the Post online and wanted to be a part of it.

Sure enough, Adam was interested and I soon became part of the part-time staff, copy editing articles and writing feature stories about the Alameda community, from the food bank to bridgetenders . There was very little money involved, but as I told Adam, I was willing to work for a small amount because I believe in what he is doing for the community—publishing our local news on a completely nonprofit basis. My past experience included working for big daily newspapers, national magazines, major book publishers, and many other Definitely-For-Profit media companies. I was delighted to become part of a tiny local staff that was motivated entirely by a desire to bring local news to our island community.

We have continued to serve Alameda as a nonprofit and have had the pleasure of getting to know and write about many wonderful Alamedans. We’ve received awards for our devotion to the community, along with local grants and support, and have even been selected by the New York Times to be included in their list of Local Journalism Worth Reading From 2023 , which to my great surprise and delight included my Alameda Post story, Bridgetender Shares the Ups and Downs of Alameda’s Bridges .

Writing—and reading—about Alameda and Alamedans is the reason I get up in the morning. And I hope all of you will read Adam Gillitt’s editorial about the latest news in nonprofit local journalism , because without your support and without the funding Adam so tirelessly pursues, we couldn’t be here.

Thank you,

Liz Barrett
Copy Editor and Feature Writer, Alameda Post

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