CinDaily

I’m sitting on Fountain Square right now, just about 20 feet from the flowing waters of the Tyler Davidson Fountain, arguably the centerpiece of the Greater Cincinnati region. It’s a funny place to be sitting as I begin to share more about the CinDaily project.

That’s because the fountain, the buildings around me - including two that house the region’s largest banks - the Carew Tower, Fountain Square West (now home to Macy’s and Palomino) and the Square itself all have stories that have fallen out of the collective consciousness of our community. Ask most people about the renovation of Fountain Square - that was effectively completed late last year, severely behind schedule - and they tell you the city paid $50 million to move the fountain 50 feet north - and out of every passing motorists clear line of sight.

And that’s sad. Because of some sloppy reporting and lack of follow-up coverage, the whole notion about Fountain Square is wrong. Nearly none of that is true, no matter what you think of the blinking lights that were installed on the facade of the shorter Fifth Third Bank building.

We’re missing some serious context around here. We are missing the in-depth news that gives residents the understanding to help them be better citizens.

All this started on April 11, 2007, or 4/11 - the number dialed on most telephones for information - inside a Cincinnati restaurant. I sat down with two friends and shared my idea for doing sustainable journalism in Cincinnati. I was not exactly sure how to do it (or how to pay for it), but I knew there must be a market out there for quality, in-depth journalism done by experienced journalists.

Since that first meeting much has happened. My idea for what eventually became CinDaily evolved and now is a much more concrete vision of how our region’s story can be told better.

I’m Joe Wessels and for the foreseeable future I will be the blogging voice of this Web site. This is just a temporary site designed to let you know a little about what the folks working to bring you CinDaily are actually doing and planning. You can learn a little bit about who we are on our “About CinDaily” page. Eventually this site will transform into the CinDaily site - which will be much more than a blog.

I’m a journalist. Have been since 1996, though I have taken a few diversions along the way. If you want to know more, feel free to check out my resume and read a biography. I’m also a co-founder of the Cincinnati Press Club and a former political and general assignment reporter (and sometimes photographer) at The Cincinnati Post, which closed on Dec. 31, 2007. So, that’s where I am coming from.

What’s your vantage point? What do you think about journalism in Cincinnati? Is there room for improvement? What would you like to see? I look forward to reading your comments in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to check back here for updates (or subscribe to our feed). I will be making regular posts about CinDaily’s progress. CinDaily…and often.