By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — On Sept. 14, 2009, West Virginia Watchdog had its official debut.
Part of the Watchdog.org network of 40 state-based investigative news websites, West Virginia Watchdog has grown to not only include in-depth and investigative stories, but also reports on our statehouse and agencies, as well as election stories.
We have written 917 articles in the last two years. In that time the website received over 107,000 visits and 73,824 unique visitors. We have a Facebook fan base of 783, and 1,036 followers on Twitter. Our record traffic day was Aug. 6, 2010, when we broke a story about Manchin administration agencies receiving subpoenas. That day we received 12,001 visits to our website.
Our articles or mentions of our website have appeared on Hot Air, the National Review, the Daily Caller, the Washington Examiner, the Charleston Gazette, the Washington Post, the Charleston Daily Mail, the National Journal, Jim Hightower, Daily Kos, Rachel Maddow, Politico, the State Journal, Slate, the Boone Examiner, CNN, the Huffington Post, the Washington Independent. Stations, such as WCHS-TV, WCHS radio, WAJR-FM, WOWK-TV, West Virginia MetroNews, and SiriusXM seek out my take on the news of the day.
I could go on and on, especially if I include the various blogs out there who also link to us or use our articles, something I allow people to do as long as they give West Virginia Watchdog credit. As you can see above, we’re a trusted resource for state and national media; for liberal and conservative outlets and pundits.
There is never such a thing as too much news, though you should always be careful what you use. Not everything on the internet is fit for consumption, and in West Virginia there are many news sites that operate with little to no journalism ethics. I wanted to create a place where the public could find trusted information on state government and politics. Judging by the growth in traffic over the last year, I’d say I’ve accomplished that mission.
I can’t say I have any ambitious goals for the next two years. I just plan on doing the same thing: reporting on the news of the day in a fair manner, and providing my thoughts and analysis. I can’t thank you enough for giving me your attention and trust these last two years.
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