NEWBURYPORT – Eben Diskin is on a mission. He wants to make getting involved in community affairs something that is “cool,” not just an interesting hobby for retirees, but rather people his age.
A year ago, Diskin, 35, created the Townie website and started accepting opinion pieces, which he thought would be less work. He describes the Townie as an “information” site and is not competing with The Town Common newspaper or the Newburyport Daily News.
His goal is to create a community of people who feel empowered to contribute to local discussions and get involved with issues they care about, and hopefully know something about.
Diskin, himself a native of this city and a travel journalist, was very active in the recent city elections. The Townie hosted a meet and greet event for candidates at the RipTide on Plum Island that was well attended by candidates and voters. And he organized and moderated debates of candidates, including one at the Unitarian Universalist Church with the candidates for at large councilor seats.
He said he was disappointed at the voter turnout for the last election – 6,829 voters out of 15,686 who are registered – but was encouraged that several millennial-aged friends who were previously not involved in local politics told him they voted.
Diskin, a graduate of Wheaton College in history who holds a master degree in creative writing from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, has moved away from Newburyport three times, but always came back. “I love this city,” he said.
Currently, the Townie is a labor of love, but he hopes in time that it will attract more sponsors or advertisers. The Townie gets 9,000 to 10,000 views per month. His Facebook page has about 1,500 followers, and the newsletter has 500 subscribers.
He also hosts a show on the Hub, Newburyport’s community television, at 3 p.m. on the first Monday and posts it on YouTube.
Diskin believes opinion pieces are important in small cities because they give background and context to issues. “People want to know what their neighbors think, their barbers, their lawyer,” he said.
The Townie accepts opinion pieces ranging from 400 to 1,000 words on topics that are interesting to local readers. He is looking for opinion pieces, written in a conversational tone, on local education, historic preservation, social issues, politics, dining, infrastructure and development. And he does not want any Artificial Intelligence-written articles.
The Townie got off to a slow start with Diskin asking friends to write the first pieces it published, but the flow of submissions picked up last summer during the local controversy over the cost of the Youth Recreation Center on Low Street.
Submissions began pouring in, including ones from city councilors, which gave the Townie credibility, he said.
Diskin knew he was beginning to get traction when he began hearing from people he did not know.
A challenge is to remain neutral on issues and campaigns. The Townie did not endorse any candidates in the mayor/council races, and he will not tell even friends how he voted.
“People need to trust the editor to be neutral,” although he admitted there were more endorsements for Jim McCauley than Mayor Sean Readon, despite his efforts to maintain a balance.
As the Townie turns two, he believes it is already a success. He said, “I get more positive comments, than criticism.” ♦
