”What is the Atlanta Civic Circle (ACC)?”
Atlanta Civic Circle (ACC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, is a bold experiment in nonprofit civic journalism.
”How was ACC created?”
ACC was founded by Bill Bolling, founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank as well as a leader in the region’s nonprofit community and by Maria Saporta, the renowned veteran journalist behind the 11-year-old civic-minded news outlet.
”What is ACC’s mission?
The mission is to inform the public on the most critical issues facing metro Atlanta by providing in-depth reporting and presenting possible solutions with opportunities for civic engagement online and in the community.
”How will ACC achieve its mission?”
ACC will take deep dives on newsworthy topics affecting Atlanta and the region, provide tools and resources to help the community learn more about the issues and equip readers with information on how they can get involved.
”Why was ACC created?”
In fast-evolving Atlanta, civic engagement has never been more crucial. Many residents, however, underestimate the impact they can have on the future of their city with efforts as slight as an occasional visit to a community meeting or casting a ballot in a local election.
”How does ACC work?”
ACC will serve as a place where the community comes together — both online and in person — to discuss the issues and foster civic engagement. ACC strives to build a better educated, more involved readership that will help to shape the Atlanta of tomorrow.
”What are ACC’s focus areas?”
ACC’s initial focus areas are two of Atlanta’s most pressing conversations: engaging in Democracy and the Housing Affordability crisis. The organization will expand to include additional issues in the future.
If you have a suggested focus area, please share it here: https://atlantaciviccircle.org/suggest-a-new-focus-area/
”Is ACC another news platform?”
No, ACC is not another news platform. A primary goal of ACC is to support, rather than compete with other media outlets. All of ACC’s content will be free for anyone to republish, with attribution, to their readers.
”What distinguishes ACC from other newsrooms?”
ACC provides comprehensive activities and resources to our audience. Our digital site offers tools and resources related to specific topics, directs readers to other organizations that support the topic, and reports on what’s happening around Atlanta that affects the topic area.
Unlike most news sources, ACC has a goal to support, rather than to compete with other media outlets. ACC will directly fund professional journalists and journalism projects and is committed to developing best practices and fair compensation for reporters.
In addition, ACC convenes thought leaders and experts on our focus areas to participate in guided conversations on focused topics and to ensure community leaders work together.
”How can I learn more about ACC?”
There are many ways to learn more about ACC. You can:
● Explore the ACC website
● Follow us on social media
”How can I support ACC?”
ACC welcomes your support through your donations, attending one of our community events, or by suggesting a focus area for our staff to cover.
Contact our Director Britton Edwards to find out more.
”How will ACC measure its success?”
ACC will measure its success through the following qualitative and quantitative key performance indicators:
● Atlantans remain informed on the key policy issues of our times and are
empowered to roll up their sleeves and tackle them
● ACC builds a reputation for delivering hard-hitting reporting that sparks change
● Civic journalism thrives in Atlanta and ACC builds a reputation and infrastructure
for long-term success
● Atlantans take ownership of the health and future of their city
● Voter turnout in Atlanta is among the highest in the state of Georgia
● ACC’s approach to journalism is modeled in cities across the country