The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.
The NewStandard is a unique online newspaper founded on the belief that the dominant model and methods of profit-focused news journalism have failed the public interest. Managed by a collective of journalists and published by a reader-funded nonprofit organization, TNS is committed to bold, hard-hitting daily news coverage, providing a vetted forum for the voices and issues often ignored in the establishment news arena.
Unlike its corporate counterparts, which typically prioritize profits, TNS exists solely to fulfill its public mission, to support the livelihood of media workers who share its passion, and to sustain an innovative egalitarian, participatory workplace structure.
To ensure that content remains free of outside financial or political agendas, TNS is funded entirely by readers and accepts no advertisements or foundation grants.
TNS strives for accountability and fairness, and to uphold rigorous rules for sourcing, transparency and ethics. With an organizational structure based on equity, solidarity, diversity and self-management, The NewStandard serves grassroots social change with uncompromised journalism and the application of democratic principles at all levels of its operation.
The NewStandard is published by PeoplesNetWorks, a collectively structured nonprofit organization. All staff participate in "balanced job complexes" which provide a mix of tasks that reflect various levels of empowerment, from managerial to content production to administrative and clerical. All receive equal pay for comparable work and participate fully in collective decisions.
Jessica Azulay is a co- founder of The NewStandard and one of the architects behind PeoplesNetWorks' unique organizational structure. Her current responsibilities include editing, reporting, general coordination and bookkeeping. Though she covers numerous topics for TNS, Jessica's main focuses include privacy and surveillance, immigration, reproductive rights and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She is also an alternative journalism instructor at the Z Media Institute. Before helping launch The NewStandard, her reporting on the Israel-Palestine conflict and writings on social change strategy were published in multiple languages and international publications. Jessica is originally from West Virginia and currently lives in Syracuse, New York. Contact Jessica
Michelle Chen has been involved with independent media for nearly a decade, the last two years of which she has devoted to working with The NewStandard and PeoplesNetWorks. In addition to reporting, she also contributes to editing and other publishing operations and outreach. A native of New York City, she began her independent media career publishing zines, resourcefully combining teen angst with pilfered office equipment. During her post-secondary education, she branched out to other forms of mass communication by founding an alternative media center in Connecticut. Since then, her work has appeared in City Limits, The South China Morning Post, Legal Affairs and Extra!, the magazine of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Contact Michelle
Brian Dominick, a co-founder of PeoplesNetWorks and The NewStandard,
operates primarily as an editor and website software developer. He also
provides member support and sundry administrative tasks. For the ten years prior to helping build TNS, Brian worked at the social-change-oriented website ZNet, where he was a commentator, editor and software developer. He also lectured and consulted with grassroots organizations on collective organizing and alternative economics. Brian's journalistic accomplishments have been published in over 50 magazines and papers worldwide. He teaches journalism, liberation theory and technology skills at the Z Media Institute. Brian also has a strong foundation in community organizing and has worked as an educator and emergency healthcare provider. Contact Brian
Shreema Mehta is a staff reporter with The NewStandard and a member of the PeoplesNetWorks Collective, which she joined in May 2006 after working for a year as a magazine fact-checker and copy editor. She reports on a wide range of social issues, including immigration, work and poverty. Shreema got her start reporting for community newspapers in New York City and Boston, where she covered everything from park fundraisers to the 2004 Republican National Convention. Shreema's family immigrated from India when she was five. She lives in Long Island. Contact Shreema
Megan Tady is a staff reporter and a promotions coordinator for The NewStandard, and a member of the PeoplesNetworks collective. She reports on a wide range of topics, including social and environmental justice, corporate accountability, public health, indigenous rights and nuclear energy. As a freelance journalist before joining TNS, Megan has investigated issues ranging from the disenfranchisement of young voters in the US to the government's attempt to place nuclear waste on a Native American reservation in Utah. Her work has been published by AlterNet, Clamor, E: The Magazine, Toward Freedom and Yes! magazine, among others. Additionally, an article of Megan's about mobilizing young voters in swing states appears in the book, Storming the Polls: How to Vote Your Views and Change the Rules. Contact Megan
We acknowledge the contributions of past members without whom our organization would not be what it is today.