Today's Freeman - both in print and online - is a special edition emphasizing the new Web and social media tools available for news-gathering and reporting, with special emphasis on reader involvement. It is part of a Journal Register Company initiative, dubbed the Ben Franklin Project, by which we have declared, on the Fourth of July, the company’s growing and determined independence from the traditional tools and methods of print journalism.
The special report is available in our printed edition and at http://kin.jrcbenfranklin.com.
Staff writer Paul Kirby takes a look at crime trends in the city of Kingston, both statistically, which tells us crime is on the decline, and how it is perceived by residents, who don’t necessarily agree.
Kirby also reports on the future of the King’s Inn motel property in the Midtown section of the city of Kingston. The motel is now owned by the city, which is considering uses for the property and is soliciting public input.
The Life Department has sought and received reader opinion on the best camping spots in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The chosen sites were Colgate Lake in Greene County and the Saugerties/Woodstock KOA.
I veered from my regular column published weekly on Wednesdays to offer a bonus one based on readers’ accounts of their worst camping experiences.
The features department will also publish a special calendar incorporating Facebook events from readers, a compendium of best tweets. And Freeman intern Ethan Barnett profiles the band Our Only Reason, after a poll that gathered more than 500 votes and a crazy video.
The Sports Department will highlight the team spirit of Yankees and Mets fans in the Hudson Valley, Web posting photos and videos of fans and selecting a top fan.
Sports localized World Cup soccer mania with a webchat with New Paltz High School boys soccer coach Stuart Robinson, the current SUNY New Paltz athletic director and former men's soccer coach.
