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For Immediate Release – August 10, 2016

Florida Bulldog’s NSU Fundraiser-Panel Discussion to Explore Unanswered Questions of 9/11 with former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham

DAVIE, Fla. — Florida Bulldog, an independent, nonprofit news outlet producing non-partisan investigative and public service reporting, will be hosting a fundraiser and panel discussion on September 8 at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). The program will focus on the organization’s continuing inquiry into the Saudi connection with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The event, presented by NSU and Florida Bulldog, will be held at NSU’s Performance Theater located at 3301 College Ave. BoardroomPR is also a sponsor.

Florida Bulldog Editor Dan Christensen will moderate a panel featuring former Florida Sen. Bob Graham; Sharon Premoli, a victim’s advocate who was at work on the 80th floor of the North Tower when the first plane struck; Sean Carter, a partner with Philadelphia’s Cozen O’Connor law firm who is helping lead a lawsuit on behalf of 9/11 victims; Thomas Julin, Florida Bulldog’s attorney and a partner with the Gunster law firm in Miami; and Dr. Charles Zelden, a NSU history and political science professor.

A VIP cocktail reception starts at 5:30 p.m. The $100 ticket includes wine and hors d’oeuvres, program, upfront seating and priority access at the Sen. Graham book signing. The panel discussion begins at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and $15 for students. All proceeds will benefit FloridaBulldog.org, an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit providing local watchdog reporting in the public interest.

Since 2012, Florida Bulldog along with first amendment attorney Thomas Julin have pursued several lawsuits against the Department of Justice and the FBI demanding records of an FBI investigation of a Saudi family who may have provided assistance to the 9/11 hijackers, and records from the FBI’s 9/11 Review Commission. Three years ago, the organization, and 9/11 authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, sought a Mandatory Declassification Review of the hidden 28 pages from Congress’s Joint Inquiry report on the terrorist attacks. President Obama ordered the release of the 28 pages in July.

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About Florida Bulldog: Launched in 2009, Florida Bulldog (formerly Broward Bulldog), is an independent news outlet producing non-partisan investigative and public service reporting. Florida Bulldog is Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. For more information, visit FloridaBulldog.org.

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For Immediate Release: Nov. 17, 2015

BoardroomPR COO Don Silver Elected to the Board of Florida Bulldog

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – BoardroomPR COO Don Silver has been elected to the board of directors of Florida Bulldog, a 501(c) (3) non-profit producing non-partisan investigative and public service reporting focused on the state of Florida.

“BoardroomPR has supported Florida Bulldog since its inception,” said Silver, co-leader of the public relations agency’s busy Crisis Management Practice Group. “Reporting staff cutbacks at major newspapers have made it challenging to cover local governments and the courts; that’s where Florida Bulldog shines.”

Launched in 2009, Florida Bulldog (www.floridabulldog.org) — formerly Broward Bulldog, is one of a burgeoning network of independent news outlets across the United States that produce non-partisan investigative and public service reporting. Unlike traditional media, which are funded by subscriptions and advertising, non-profit media must rely on contributions and donations for the bulk of their income.

Florida Bulldog’s stories are routinely carried by major media across the state and U.S.

Don Silver brings 30-plus years of successful public relations and marketing management experience working with the state’s top entrepreneurs, corporations, law firms, schools and non-profits on crisis planning, reputation management, public relations, marketing, community outreach, and online and search engine marketing. Prior to joining Boardroom in 1995, he held management positions with companies such as Duracell USA, Forster Manufacturing and Park & Sun Sports.

Don is a frequent speaker, moderator and author on topics including how to handle a crisis in your business, designing a crisis plan and dealing with traditional and social media under fire. He is also active in the community where he has been chairman of the board and/or marketing-communications committee in organizations such as NAIOP, Legal Marketing Association, Legal Aid Service/Coast to Coast Legal Aid, Broward Partnership for the Homeless and Gold Coast Venture Capital Association. He is a native Floridian and received his BBA in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University.

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About BoardroomPR:

BoardroomPR is one of Florida’s top PR and integrated marketing agencies. Based in South Florida, the agency specializes in media relations, online marketing, branding, public affairs and crisis communications. The firm has offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. The recipe for much of Boardroom’s success has come from its experienced staff’s opportunistic approach, energy and uncanny ability to convert a client’s vision into a workable plan that gets them where they want to go. BoardroomPR crafts public relations campaigns that bridge new and traditional media to generate newspaper, magazine, trade journal, radio, television coverage and online media through its customized game plans designed to accomplish client objectives. Online services include website and blog development and marketing, social media management, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). For more information, visit www.boardroompr.com.

About Florida Bulldog: www.floridaBulldog.org – in its 6th year of publishing — is an independent online newspaper created to provide original, local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. For more information, visit FloridaBulldog.org.

For immediate Release: Jan. 9, 2015 Media Contact: Kevin Boyd, 954-288-9509 or [email protected]

Online investigative news site changes name to FloridaBulldog.org; New name reflects expanded news coverage

FORT LAUDERDALE – The quickly expanding coverage and growing impact of an online news organization’s coverage has prompted a change in name to FloridaBulldog.org from BrowardBulldog.org company officials said today. Stories published by the FloridaBulldog.org have been reprinted in major newspapers and other media outlets throughout the state and beyond.

In its sixth year of publication, the FloridaBulldog.org drew 100,000 unique visitors to its site in December, and 750,000 page views.

“The change in name better recognizes what you already know – that the Bulldog’s brand of nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog news coverage often extends beyond Broward County,” said Editor Dan Christensen.

“Our expanded coverage will provide stories you need to know about our South Florida region, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. What won’t change is Florida Bulldog’s dedication to report news you can sink your teeth into,” he said.

Christensen said that in 2014 the FloridaBulldog.org substantially expanded its investigative coverage to Miami-Dade County. The online newspaper reported on the county’s new heroin epidemic, and the dearth of treatment beds for addicts. More recently, the Bulldog reported how new Miami Congressman Carlos Curbelo’s campaign failed to properly disclose contributions from political action committees, while also accepting thousands of dollars from individuals tied to companies that benefitted from his vote while he was on the Miami-Dade School Board.

On the state level, Bulldog reported how Florida’s flawed “blind trust” law failed to prevent Florida Gov. Rick Scott from knowing where his money is invested; and an analysis of the governor’s investments that found he owned a stake in a company that’s building a controversial $3 billion natural gas pipeline in north and central Florida.

On the national front, the Bulldog continues to report developments regarding the FBI’s once-secret investigation in Sarasota of a Saudi family with ties to both the royal family and the 9/11 hijackers.

“2015 promises to be another interesting year for FloridaBulldog.org news coverage,” Christensen said.

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FloridaBulldog.org – in its 6th year of publishing — is an independent online newspaper created to provide original, local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kevin Boyd, Chair, FloridaBulldog.org Board of Directors, at 954-288-9509; or [email protected].

 

News from BrowardBulldog.org For immediate release Date:  April 14, 2014 Contact: Kitty Barran, 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

Re: Merrett R. Stierheim joins BrowardBulldog.org board of directors

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org is pleased to welcome Merrett R. Stierheim to its board of directors.

Stierheim is a highly respected Florida public administrator who served twice as Miami-Dade County manager and later as superintendent of the Miami-Dade Public School system.

He was responsible for overseeing construction of landmark Miami-Dade facilities including Metrorail, the People Mover, regional water, sewer, park, library, cultural, seaport, airport, Zoo Miami, and other public facilities.

Stierheim is recognized for his ethical, scandal free leadership.

He began his public career as a Wharton Graduate Intern in the Miami city manager’s office in 1959, and was assistant city manager for eight years. He also has served as city manager of Clearwater, county administrator of Pinellas County, and city manager of the City of Miami and Miami Lakes.

Stierheim ran Women’s professional tennis (WTA) worldwide for four years and served nine years as president of the Miami-Dade Convention and Visitors Bureau. In addition to his masters degree from Wharton he has received honorary doctorate degrees from St. Thomas and Barry Universities.

While Stierheim has spent a working lifetime on the other side of the table from the press, he is deeply committed to a strong and unfettered press. He said he considers it an honor to lend his support to the Bulldog and its investigative journalistic mission.

Broward Bulldog.org is in its fifth year of non-profit reporting and has experienced significant growth since its inception in October 2009. The online-only newspaper had nearly 500,000 page views and more than 50,000 unique visitors in March.

Stierheim joins Joe Thomas, Ellen Soeteber, Florence Snyder, Darcie Lunsford, Bonnie Gross, Lisa Gibbs, Gene Cryer, Doug Clifton, Kitty Barran and Jay Alexander who also serve on Broward Bulldog’s board of directors.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online newspaper created to provide original, local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

News from BrowardBulldog.org For immediate release

Date:  September 20, 2013

Contact: Kitty Barran, 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

Re: Doug Clifton joins BrowardBulldog.org board of directors

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org is pleased to welcome Doug Clifton to its board of directors. Clifton is a former editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and executive editor of The Miami Herald.

Clifton retired from The Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2007 where he served as editor for eight years. Prior to that he was executive editor of the Miami Herald from 1991 to 1999. The Herald won three Pulitzer prizes under his leadership including the gold medal for meritorious public service and another for investigative reporting. He started his career at The Herald in 1970 and served as a reporter and editor for 17 years. He was news editor of the Knight Ridder Washington bureau and managing editor of the Knight Ridder-owned Charlotte Observer before returning to The Herald as executive editor.

“With the cutbacks in staff in the traditional press, the role of non-profit journalism grows in importance every day,” said Clifton. “Broward Bulldog is one of the best, in part for its singular focus on investigative journalism, and in greater part for Bulldog’s creator and editor, Dan Christensen. I hope my involvement with another worthy non-profit, Vermont Digger, will be of value to this operation. Growing Broward Bulldog is the board’s greatest challenge and that will take the support of the broader community.”

Broward Bulldog.org is now in entering its fifth year of non-profit reporting and has experienced significant growth since its inception in October 2009. The online-only newspaper had more than 283,000 page views and saw nearly 44,000 unique visitors in August.

Traffic to the site has remained strong following Broward Bulldog’s investigation and coverage of a Saudi family who was living in Sarasota at the time of the September 11 attacks and had possible links to the hijackers. Broward Bulldog has filed a freedom of information lawsuit for access to never-released FBI documents about 9/11.

“Doug’s been through every major change in the news business in his 40 years of reporting and editing,” said Dan Christensen. “He knows what it takes to succeed and we’re looking forward to his guidance and expertise.”

Clifton joins Kevin Boyd, Norm Davis, Joe Thomas, Bonnie Gross, Gene Cryer, Darcie Lunsford, Lisa Gibbs, Ellen Soeteber, Florence Snyder, Kitty Barran and Jay Alexander who also serve on Broward Bulldog’s board of directors.

Broward Bulldog will hold its fourth-annual fundraising event in November.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online newspaper created to provide original, local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

News from BrowardBulldog.org

For immediate release

Date: April 29, 2013

Re:  BrowardBulldog.org secures best-selling author Michael Connelly for fundraising event Contact: Kitty Barran, 214-548-0360

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org and Boardroom Communications present a special evening event featuring best-selling author Michael Connelly on Tuesday, May 21at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.

Connelly will talk about growing up in Fort Lauderdale, his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Los Angeles and how these experiences led to his award-winning career as a top crime fiction writer.

Considered an heir to Raymond Chandler, Connelly also will discuss his novels about LAPD detective Harry Bosch and lawyer Mickey Haller, both of which have earned numerous awards and regularly land on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

South Florida mystery fiction columnist Oline Cogdill will host a question and answer session following the program. Many of Connelly’s books, including his latest best-selling title, The Black Box, will be available for purchase and signing.

Broward Bulldog.org is one of a burgeoning network of independent news outlets across the United States that produce non-partisan investigative and public service reporting. Unlike traditional media which are funded by subscriptions and advertising, non-profit media must rely on contributions and donations for the bulk of their income to cover expenses.

Launched in the fall of 2009, BrowardBulldog.org posts original investigative news weekly and its stories are routinely carried by major media across Florida. Bulldog’s cadre of reporters have decades of experience spanning print and television news and a wide variety of beats across South Florida. With nearly 1000 Facebook likes and Twitter followers, BrowardBulldog.org’s website is a thoroughfare for about 25,000 visitors each month.

Stories like Did the 9/11 hijackers have accomplices?  and ongoing coverage of a Sarasota Saudi family have propelled BrowardBulldog.org into the national spotlight and gained the attention and support of former US Senator Bob Graham. Graham is former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-chaired Congress’s Joint Inquiry into the attacks more than a decade ago. Because of BrowardBulldog.org’s relentless investigation, Graham believes a new investigation is now needed to get the truth. “My goal is to have the investigation reopened and do a full inquiry into the Saudi aspects and then make the results available to the American people,” Graham said.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Broward Bulldog.org, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit providing local watchdog reporting in the public interest. Ticket information can be found here: http://bulldogevent.eventbrite.com/

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists and a member of the Investigative News Network. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected].

News from BrowardBulldog.org

For immediate release

Date: January 30, 2013


Re: Nonprofit Broward Bulldog expands its Board of Directors

FORT LAUDERDALE – Broward Bulldog is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its board of directors.

Norm Davis and Joe Thomas are advocates for watchdog journalism with decades of valuable business and news experience that can help Broward Bulldog grow and succeed. They join us after months spent surveying South Florida’s media outlets in search of the most promising way to strengthen local investigative reporting.

Davis is senior counsel in the Miami law offices of Squire Sanders & Dempsey. His practice focuses on litigation and counseling in all aspects of employment law, as well as general business and commercial litigation.

In his blood, however, Norm Davis is a newsman. In the 1960s, he led a news operation at the Washington Post-owned WJXT that featured strong investigative reporting. The station’s stories and editorials about corruption and ineffective leadership in Jacksonville caused by the area’s then-tangled and confused local government structure led voters to overwhelmingly approve the merger of the city and county governments. The governments are still merged.

The Post transferred Davis to do similar activity at a television station the company then owned in Washington. He worked for five years on editorials and documentaries that challenged regional and state issues in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Davis was later transferred to the Post’s Miami station, WPLG-Channel 10, where in the 1970s and early 1980s he served as a vice president actively involved in the station’s then-strong news and editorial operations.  He became an attorney in 1985.

Local businessman Joe Thomas has witnessed the decline of the area’s newspapers and television stations and wants to find ways to promote sustainable economic growth that will allow Broward Bulldog to provide the kind of watchdog news that is essential to good government.

Thomas is a senior organizational management and institutional development consultant with more than 30 years experience assisting foreign governments, communities, organizations and businesses to achieve their goals.  He has provided training and technical assistance in institutional development, organizational management, strategic planning, economic development, financial self-sufficiency, marketing and export promotion, communications and policy reform for business and non-governmental organizations.

Thomas has managed and consulted for a wide range of US Agency for International Development projects and US AID-sponsored organizations, as well as other public and private organizations.

Information about Broward Bulldog’s board members can be found here.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists and a member of the Investigative News Network. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected].

For immediate release

Date: Nov. 29, 2012

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Development, 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

Re: Investigative Journalism Grant Awarded to Broward Bulldog

FORT LAUDERDALE – The board of directors of the Fund for Investigative Journalism has awarded a $5,000 grant to Broward Bulldog for a project about lobbying.

The grant is to provide the resources necessary to travel, interview sources and research documentary evidence.

“The process was very competitive and the board members are very enthusiastic about your project,” said Executive Director Sandy Bergo.

The Fund for Investigative Journalism is an independent, non-profit organization that has supported hundreds of public service reporting projects since 1969, when it provided funding for Seymour Hersh to investigate the massacre of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers in My Lai. His stories won the Pulitzer Prize.

Read more about Fund-supported projects at www.fij.org

The Fund’s grant-making program is made possible by support from the Park Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and generous donations form family foundations and individuals.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists and a member of the Investigative News Network. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected].

For immediate release

Date: Nov. 21, 2012

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Development, 214-548-0360 or [email protected]

BrowardBulldog.org has much to be thankful for this year as we begin our fourth year of investigative reporting

Fort Lauderdale – Nonprofit BrowardBulldog.org held its third anniversary celebration this month and raised more than $30,000 thanks to many loyal supporters and a generous contribution from best-selling novelist Michael Connelly.

With Connelly’s commitment and that of hundreds of other concerned individuals, BrowardBulldog.org was able this year to report dozens of local watchdog stories that would otherwise not have come to light. They include stories about sweetheart deals, government secrecy and waste, police misconduct, allegations of pay to play, injustice, and environmental clean up efforts.

We also continued our coverage of the FBI’s once-secret investigation into Saudis in Sarasota with ties to the Royal Family and apparent ties to the 9/11 hijackers.

BrowardBulldog.org supporters also enabled us to partner with the Center for Public Integrity and others to report for the national State Integrity Investigation — a first of its kind assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states. We spent more than 8 months compiling and analyzing data about Florida that was used to create our state’s “Corruption Risk Report Card.” Florida’s overall grade: C-. Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan nonprofit research institute, is now using our findings to push for legislative reform in Tallahassee.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists and a member of the Investigative News Network. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 214-548-0360 or [email protected].

For Immediate Release          Media Contact: Darcie Lunsford, 954-261-3820

Broward Bulldog online investigative news site files federal complaint seeking withheld FBI records on 9/11 hijackers’ links to Sarasota Saudis

*A copy of the 25-page complaint on the Sarasota Saudis links to the 9/11 hijackers is available at https://www.floridabulldog.org/foia-lawsuit/

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Sept. 6, 2012 – A complaint has been filed in U.S. District Court seeking the release of FBI records that allegedly link a Saudi family formerly living in Sarasota, Florida to terrorists responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001.

According to the complaint, which names the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Justice Department as defendants, the FBI has improperly withheld records of its Sarasota investigation from Congress, the 9/11 Commission and the American public. The records are sought to determine whether the FBI uncovered evidence showing that the 9/11 hijackerswere connected to the Saudis who hastily left the country in a suspicious manner just two weeks prior to the attacks, leaving behind their luxury home and personal belongings.

Broward Bulldog, an award-winning non-profit online news agency (www.browardbulldog.org), is requesting the documents under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA.) The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge William J. Zloch.

FBI spokesmen have said the FBI found no “credible evidence” connectingthe Saudi family in Sarasota and the 9/11 hijackers, according to Bulldog editor Dan Christensen. “But it (FBI) so far has refused specific requests by various newspapers to provide details that would support that assertion,” he wrote in a letter to the FBI.

The complaint said 10 stories by the Broward Bulldog have been published in a number of newspapers, television and Internet web sites around the country and that the online news agency intends to produce more stories on the scope of assistance to the hijackers by Saudi persons and groups.

The new information about the Saudi couple in Sarasota, who allegedly hosted several of the 9/11 hijackers at their home in the months before the attack, has prompted former U.S. Senator Bob Graham, D-Florida, to become involved. Graham co-chaired Congress’s Joint Inquiry into the attacks.

Graham has called the Sarasota episode “the most important thing about 9/11 to surface in the last seven or eight years.”

“There is an urgent need to inform the public about the FBI’s Sarasota investigation and its findings regarding possible Saudi complicity in providing support to the 9/11 hijackers,” he said last year. ‘If they provided this kind of support for an operation in 2001, do they have the same capability” now.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety.

For Immediate Release

Date: August 13, 2012

Contact: Dan Christensen at  [email protected] or 954-603-1351

Re: BrowardBulldog.org and Boardroom Communications host 9/11 conversation with former Senator Bob Graham on September 11

FORT LAUDERDALE – Questions about Saudi Arabia’s possible involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have lingered for more than a decade. Over the past year, BrowardBulldog.org has reported how Congress and the 9/11 Commission were kept in the dark about a secret FBI investigation that found troubling ties between the 9/11 hijackers and Saudis then living in Sarasota.

Former Florida U.S. senator and two-term governor Bob Graham, co-chair of Congress’s Joint Inquiry into the attacks, was privy to top-secret information on suspected foreign support for the hijackers. He believes events in Sarasota offer important clues about what happened, and has called on President Obama to reopen the investigation.

Join us at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 11 for a special evening with Sen. Graham on the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks for our program, “Unanswered Questions of 9/11: A Conversation With Bob Graham.”  Sen. Graham will answer questions and be available afterward to sign copies of his latest book, “Keys to the Kingdom.”

Ticket Options: 

Tickets are available at http://browardbulldog.eventbrite.com/

Meet Sen. Graham at the 5:30 p.m. VIP Cocktail Reception. $75 ticket includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres, lecture, upfront seating and priority access at the book signing.

Pre-sale general admission tickets to the 6:30 p.m. lecture are available for $20 through Aug. 31; $30 from Sept. 1-11.

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Proceeds benefit BrowardBulldog.org, an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit providing local watchdog reporting in the public interest.

 

For Immediate ReleaseDate: July 2, 2012Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]Re: BrowardBulldog.org welcomes two veteran journalists to its board of directorsFORT LAUDERDALE – Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editor Ellen Soeteber and Broward marketing executive Darcie Lunsford have been elected to the board of directors of South Florida’s first independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan source of watchdog news.“We are indeed fortunate to be able to add two outstanding journalists to our organization as we continue to grow and get stronger,” said BrowardBulldog.org chairman Gene Cryer.Ellen Soeteber’s leadership put her on the masthead of three major U.S. newspapers. She moved up through the ranks of the Chicago Tribune, working as a reporter, copy editor, metro editor, associate managing editor and deputy editor of the editorial board. She was named managing editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1994 and editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2001 – the only woman to hold the post in the paper’s 134-year history.Awards won by her staffs include the Pulitzer Prize, the Education Writers Association’s Grand Prize, the Society of Professional Journalists’ top award for deadline news (for coverage of the Gianni Versace murder in Miami Beach), and World Press and Pictures of the Year photo honors.Soeteber, a Fort Lauderdale resident, is a graduate of Northwestern University and a recipient of a journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan. She was the Edith Kinney Gaylord Visiting Professor in Journalism in ethics and diversity at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism in 2008.Darcie Lunsford is director of business development and marketing for Butters Group, a privately held real estate firm based in Coconut Creek. Prior to that, she spent 22 years as a journalist. Most recently, she was a senior editor at the South Florida Business Journal and held the office of national president-elect of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s oldest and largest journalism and free press advocacy organization. She is also immediate past-president of SPJ’s South Florida Pro Chapter.At the Business Journal, Lunsford covered South Florida real estate and the economy for 14 years as both a print and broadcast editor. She is a former on-air correspondent for WPLG Local 10 in Miami, WPBF TV-25 in Palm Beach Gardens and reported business stories for WPTV TV-5, the NBC station in West Palm Beach. She also held staff writing positions at the Daily Business Review and several other daily newspapers.Broward Bulldog.org’s other board members are: Gene Cryer, former editor of the Sun-Sentinel; Florence Beth Snyder, First Amendment attorney and former Administrative Law Judge in the Southern District of Florida; Kevin Boyd, Owner of Boyd Public Relations and former managing editor of the Hollywood Sun-Tattler; Lisa Gibbs, Senior Writer at MONEY magazine and former executive business editor of The Miami Herald; Jay Alexander, Chairman of InTown Publishing & Intown411.com; and Kitty Barran, Grants Manager at 211 Broward and former media relations consultant for Zurich Financial Services, United Kingdom.-30-BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety.Kitty Barran/Director of Development/www.browardbulldog.org/[email protected]/954-817-3434For immediate releaseDate: February 29, 2012Contact: Dan Christensen, Editor, 954-603-1351 or [email protected]: BrowardBulldog.org Wins Rising Star Non-Profit Academy AwardFORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org was pleased to be named the recipient of the Rising Star honor at the 2nd Annual 2012 BankAtlantic Non-Profit Academy Awards on Friday, Feb. 24. The prestigious accolade was presented at a luncheon ceremony attended by more than 600 of the county’s business, non-profit, municipal and philanthropic leaders at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.The awards recognize and bring awareness to the collective work and impact of thousands of non-profit organizations and leaders serving Broward County.“If we didn’t know it before, we do now — the community at large knows we’re here and is paying attention,” said Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org founder and editor.The event benefits 2-1-1 Broward, the only agency in the county that provides 24/7 comprehensive helpline services to anyone seeking emotional support, crisis/suicide intervention, information, needs assessment and referrals to health and human services agencies. Although a federally mandated service, 2-1-1 call centers receive no financial support from the federal government and rely on the support of businesses, foundations, government agencies and individual donors.2-1-1 Broward created the non-profit sector’s most respected honor. The Non-Profit Academy Awards acknowledge the highest level of achievement and seeks to encourage exceptional levels of quality and commitment in charitable and service organizations.This year 97 nominations were submitted; seven in the Rising Star category. The Rising Star award goes to a young, small non-profit organization “that exhibits potential for growth and greater impact.” Broward Bulldog won over two more traditional finalists: KidSafe Foundation and the Crockett Foundation, a youth education group run by former National Football League players Zack and Henri Crockett.

Broward Bulldog has become something unique in South Florida in just a couple of years – a nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan news organization that’s providing authoritative reporting in the public interest while upholding high standards of fairness and accuracy.

“This public recognition is a real milestone for us, and it happened because of the much-needed and quality journalism produced by our dedicated reporters and editors and supported by our staff and board,” Christensen concluded.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety.

Kitty Barran/Director of Development/www.browardbulldog.org/

[email protected]/954-817-3434

 

For immediate release

Date: February 15, 2012

Contact: Dan Christensen, Editor, 954-603-1351 or [email protected]

Re: BrowardBulldog.org names 2012 Board of Directors; nominated for Non-Profit Academy Award

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org welcomed a new board chair this week. Former Sun-Sentinel editor Gene Cryer, who is now a local author, takes the helm of the non-profit investigative news outlet.

“When I retired, I never imagined that I would return to journalism in any form,” said Cryer. “However, the opportunity to be involved in the growth of BrowardBulldog.org and a new approach to investigative journalism was too attractive to reject.”

Rounding out BrowardBulldog.org’s board of directors for the next year are: Florence Beth Snyder, First Amendment attorney and former Administrative Law Judge in the Southern District of Florida; Kevin Boyd, Owner of Boyd Public Relations and former managing editor of the Hollywood Sun-Tattler; Lisa Gibbs, Senior Writer at MONEY magazine and former executive business editor of The Miami Herald; Jay Alexander, Chairman of InTown Publishing & Intown411.com; and Kitty Barran, Grants Manager at 211 Broward and former media relations consultant for Zurich Financial Services, United Kingdom. Barran has been serving as pro-bono director of development for BrowardBulldog.org since its launch in October 2009.

Florida’s first independent and non-profit news organization experienced solid growth in 2011. Working with a troop of experienced free-lance reporters, the number of stories posted on the BrowardBulldog.org website increased from 56 in 2010 to 77 in 2011.

The site now consistently attracts nearly 18,000 unique visitors and 120,000 page views per month; has more than 650 Facebook fans and reaches out to 550 Twitter followers.

Compelling stories in 2011 included exclusive coverage of Broward’s billion dollar trash wars, Hallandale Beach’s questionable land purchases, a costly deal and lack of lobbyist registration at the South Florida Water Management District, Broward College’s controversial police training procedures, developments in the Adam Walsh murder case, missing $1.7 million in Lauderdale Lakes, and a series of articles about alleged ties between 9/11 hijackers and a South Florida Saudi family.

BrowardBulldog.org journalists won their first Society of Professional Journalists’ Sunshine State awards in 2011 taking home honors for investigative reporting in two categories.

Broward Bulldog has a content-sharing agreement with Reuters through its Investigative News Network affiliation, and a similar arrangement with 100Reporters. Editor Dan Christensen is now one of more than 30 North American journalists feeding into 100Reporters’ constant stream of stories from around the world.

Earlier this year Broward Bulldog added video to its previously text-only format snagging a timely interview with Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes.

In January, BrowardBulldog.org was nominated for the Non-Profit Academy Awards Rising Star award which will be presented at a luncheon ceremony at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on February 24.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety.

 

For immediate release Date: Dec. 28, 2011

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

BrowardBulldog.org joins forces with 100Reporters

Fort Lauderdale – Veteran reporter and BrowardBulldog.org founder and editor Dan Christensen has accepted an invitation to join 100Reporters, a recently launched news organization that brings together 100 of the world’s finest professional reporters with whistle-blowers and citizen journalists across the globe, to report on corruption in all its forms.

Christensen and his team of award-winning journalists at BrowardBulldog.org are filling a widening gap in local investigative journalism left by downsizing and a lack of resources in area’s traditional radio, television and print media. By uncovering corruption and following the questionable decisions and practices by our county’s elected officials and business leaders, BrowardBulldog.org provides concerned citizens with information important to their understanding of government and politics.

Christensen is now one of more than 30 North American journalists feeding into 100Reporters’ constant stream of stories from around the world.

BrowardBulldog.org also has a content-sharing agreement with Reuters through its Investigative News Network affiliation. The INN helps its 60 non-profit, non-partisan members produce and distribute stories and work toward sustainability.

BrowardBulldog.org content is often carried by media across the state. Most recently, a story by BrowardBulldog.org medical journalist Amber Statler-Mathews about hard-to-acquire hospital records was picked up by several Florida print publications, Open Channel on msnbc.com, and was featured in a WLRN radio broadcast.

“South Florida is ripe with deplorable stories of underhanded deals and unethical practices by people our citizenry is supposed to be able to trust,” said 100Reporters’ co-founder Diana Jean Schemo. “We started 100Reporters to give a broader voice to the essential watchdogs at BrowardBulldog.org and others reporting in the public’s interest.”

100Reporters was co-founded earlier this year by Schemo and Philip Shenon, former correspondents for The New York Times, and made possible through a planning grant from the Ford Foundation.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 954-817-3434 or[email protected].

 

For immediate release Date: Nov. 28, 2011

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

BrowardBulldog.org begins third year of investigative reporting

Fort Lauderdale – BrowardBulldog.org held its second anniversary celebration earlier this month and raised nearly $20,000 thanks to many loyal supporters and a generous contribution from renowned, best-selling novelist Michael Connelly.

Connelly has a soft spot for Broward County news. He grew up in Fort Lauderdale, moving here with his family when he was 12. In 1981, he became a reporter at the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, where he stayed for five years. He moved to California in 1987 to be a crime reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He quit his job as a reporter to write full time in 1995.

“I know how important thorough reporting and access to information is to this community,” said Connelly, whose new novel, The Drop, goes on sale in bookstores today. “My years covering crime and corruption taught me there’s a never-ending battle to uncover the truth. I not only commend Dan Christensen and his team but actively support their relentless endeavors.”

With Connelly’s commitment and that of hundreds of other concerned individuals, BrowardBulldog.org has enjoyed a successful second year of operation. In the last year, BrowardBulldog.org regularly reported on government antics in Deerfield Beach, Hallandale Beach and the South Florida Water Management District – stories that weren’t covered by the area’s print publications, but were often republished with BrowardBulldog’s byline.

Editor Dan Christensen’s delving into South Florida connections to September 11 with author Anthony Summers grabbed the attention of former Florida Senator Bob Graham who has asked the White House to open an inquiry into the FBI’s investigation of a Saudi Sarasota family with apparent ties to the terrorists.

This series of articles was recently featured on a Young Turks podcast. The Young Turks is one of the largest online news shows in the world, with more than 30 million views a month.

The non-profit news movement is growing. The Investigative News Network, of which BrowardBulldog.org is a member, now has more than 60 non-profit, non-partisan newsrooms on its roster.

“We help to fill a deepening chasm in local news,” said Christensen. “I would love nothing more than to put the area’s displaced reporters back to work here, but like other non-profit newsrooms, we’re just keeping our heads above water.”

As the creation, delivery and consumption of news changes, non-profit newsrooms must continue to find ways to be sustainable. Business models range from selling advertising, subscriptions and sponsorships to accepting individual and corporate contributions and grant dollars and to keep the organizations afloat.

In addition to reporting and editing for the online-only publication, Christensen is a regular guest on WLRN’s weekly Florida Roundup and also appeared on the public radio station’s Topical Currents program.

Christensen was one of 10 up-and-coming news entrepreneurs invited to attend the Knight Foundations’ News Entrepreneur Boot Camp at the University of Southern California, and he participated in a panel discussion for Block by Block: Community News Summit in Chicago. Director of Development Kitty Barran presented a session at the national conference of the Alliance of Community Media and will address the Public Relations Society of America’s western regional conference in Denver in March on “The Future of News.”

BrowardBulldog.org won its first Sunshine State award this year for stories about how a large law firm hired a Florida Supreme Court justice a few weeks after he cast the deciding vote to approve a controversial ballot petition being pushed hard by the firm’s attorneys. Bulldog contributor Karla Bowsher also won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Award, which recognizes collegiate work published or broadcast during 2010. This year, student journalists submitted almost 4,000 entries. Bowsher attends Florida Atlantic University.

BrowardBulldog now has more than 600 Facebook fans and 500 Twitter followers, and the website attracts nearly 15,000 unique IPs each month.

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected].

 

 

For immediate release

Date: May 25, 2011

Contact: Dan Christensen, Editor, 954-603-1351 or [email protected]

Re: Thomson Reuters to distribute BrowardBulldog.org news

FORT LAUDERDALE — BrowardBulldog.org is one of 30 non-profit investigative news organizations to begin distributing content through international news service Thomson Reuters.  The opportunity is part of a recent deal struck by the Investigative News Network on behalf of its members.  BrowardBulldog.org has been a member of the INN since July 2010.

“Publishers are telling us investigative news is extremely valuable, but seems to be the first thing cut when resources get tight,” said Chris Ahearn, president of Media for Thomson Reuters in a press release about the agreement.

BrowardBulldog.org is one of only two Florida media outlets included in the pact. Health News Florida is also an INN member, focusing on the politics and business that drive medical care in the nation’s fourth most populous state.

“Investigative reporting is at the forefront of our mission, and we’re excited to expand our reach and serve Reuters clients around the globe,” said Kevin Davis, INN’s chief executive officer.

The arrangement allows Thomson Reuters to use INN-member content on an as-needed basis and to pay members for any content used. That gives local stories such as those produced by BrowardBulldog.org the potential to be picked up by Thomson Reuters’ newspaper, television and cable network, radio and website partners.

“Because non-profit news is a new business model, we’re still figuring out ways to make it sustainable,” said BrowardBulldog.org’s founder and editor Dan Christensen. “We need this to not only generate some income, but to set the precedent that our content is not free just because it’s online. We appreciate Thomson Reuters for recognizing the importance of non-profit investigative journalism.”

2011 has been a year of strategic planning and growth for Florida’s first non-profit independent newsroom.  BrowardBulldog.org now has two regular contributors, in addition to Christensen, and a bullpen of relief reporters; recently added the Hollywood Gazette as a content-sharing partner; and has been named as a finalist in the South Florida Society of Professional Journalists’ 2011 Sunshine State awards. Christensen’s story Ex-Supreme Court chief justice approves ballot petition, gets hired by firm allied with its sponsor was nominated in the Civil Law Reporting category.  Winners will be announced at a June 11 ceremony.

Earlier this month, Christensen attended an invitation-only Knight Foundation workshop for news entrepreneurs.

“We continue to report hard-hitting stories despite the economic doldrums and the media chaos around us,” said Christensen. “Arrangements such as the Thomson Reuters opportunity, recognition from our peers, and our growing cadre of journalists and content partners tell me we just need to hang in there. We’re doing the right things to be successful.”

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News from Broward Bulldog

For immediate release

Date: January 6, 2011

Re: BrowardBulldog.org story highlights contradiction in Adam Walsh murder case

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org posted a new story yesterday that trumped other South Florida media outlets on a chronicle they have in their archives.

Click here for the story

The story is about a new legal twist to the Adam Walsh murder case, which riveted the country for years and continues to influence how parents across the country protect their children.

In a book due to be released in March, Former Miami Beach Police Detective Sgt. Joe Matthews claims his independent investigation into Adam’s murder provided previously unseen evidence that helped to conclusively close the case in 2008. Morgan Willis, a retired Miami Herald press operator and witness in the case, asked to see Matthew’s report of the investigation. When he was denied access to the report, Morgan filed a lawsuit in June, 2010 under the Florida Public Records Act. The defendants were Hollywood police chief Chad Wagner, Broward State Attorney Michael Satz and Matthews.

Wagner and Satz say the report was not considered evidence in the case, was not a factor in the decision to close the case, is no longer in their possession, and they have no obligation to produce it as a public record.

The story about the original public records lawsuit ran in the Miami Herald and was picked up by several other news outlets. The suit was dismissed in August of last year, but is on appeal.

Court papers filed on Dec. 20, 2010 – which assert the advance draft of the book, Bringing Adam Home:  The Abduction that Changed America, provides stark contradictions between Matthew’s account and the statements of the State Attorney’s office – went unnoticed until the BrowardBulldog.org article yesterday.

“This is an important story because we expect our law enforcement and state authorities to dot all the Is and cross all the Ts,” said Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org reporter. “The revelations in the book may not change the conclusions in the case, but they still beg the question:  Were Matthew’s findings, as he claims in his book, instrumental to closing the case? If so, his report should be a part of the case’s public record. It’s that simple.”

The story was obviously of interest to South Florida readers. BrowardBulldog.org’s daily unique IPs and page views spiked to an all-time high as the story was shared countless times across email, Facebook and Twitter. BrowardBulldog.org expects the stats to accelerate today. The article was picked up by the online versions of Sun-Sentinel and the Chicago Tribune.

Why was a story with such national interest missed by other media outlets? Because our area’s newsrooms are distracted. Declining revenues have led to staff reductions and important stories go uncovered because of shifting priorities and lack of resources.

“I think the traffic on our site shows that solid reporting is important no matter the medium,” said Christensen. “People would have thought it interesting in print, on the radio or on TV, but we were the only media with the story.”

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected].

For immediate release

Date:  Nov. 10, 2010

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

Re: BrowardBulldog.org’s inaugural fundraiser brings in $10K; launches re-designed website

FORT LAUDERDALE – BrowardBulldog.org celebrated its first year of operation in style Tuesday evening at YOLO in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Attended by nearly 100 friends and supporters, the online newspaper’s first fundraising event raised more than $10,000 to help pay for additional reporters, photography and expanded coverage.

“The backing and encouragement of our many supporters is very much appreciated, as we all realize how important the presence of quality journalism is to our community,” said Kevin Boyd, chair of BrowardBulldog’s Board of Directors. “Having these experienced and ethical journalists working in Broward County will do much to encourage the checks and balances needed to ensure a high quality of life and stability in our community.”

BrowardBulldog.org is a nonprofit investigative news site dedicated to reporting in the public interest. As traditional media falter because of declining revenues, a new model of journalism is emerging. By shifting to nonprofit public media where news is supported by memberships, sponsorships and grants, reporters are free to pursue those issues of most importance to the community.

“Journalism is essential to a properly functioning democracy – that’s not a motto, it’s the truth. Our mission is to write the stories that are going uncovered because of lack of resources and changing priorities in our area’s traditional newsrooms,” said Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org’s founder and editor. “We are filling that gap with original, in-depth reporting to give Broward County residents critical information they need.”

The event was also the official launch of a redesigned website. BrowardBulldog.org has a new look and features making it easier to navigate and engage readers. The new design includes a feature story, friendlier links to social media and search functions.

Among new additions to the site is advertising to support BrowardBulldog.org, and “See Click Fix,” a service that helps readers identify problems in their neighborhoods that government officials should fix or repair.

The site has racked up some impressive numbers for an independent newcomer. In its first year, BrowardBulldog.org can boast 1.5 million hits and more than 425,000 page views. The site is drawing more than 8000 unique IPs each month and should grow quickly with the introduction of sharing tools.

As always, the new site will contain the same vigilant watchdog journalism that has distinguished BrowardBulldog.org as one of the top investigative news websites in South Florida.

“Successful entrepreneurial news takes more than excellent reporting,” said Kevin Davis, CEO for the Investigative News Network. “It takes patience, a good business plan, and the ability to tap into local support. BrowardBulldog.org is an excellent example of the non-profit journalism revolution happening across the country and throughout our Network.”

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BrowardBulldog.org is an independent online newspaper created to provide original, local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first nonprofit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

For immediate release

Date: July 9, 2010

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

Re: Broward Bulldog accepted into Investigative News Network

FORT LAUDERDALE – Broward Bulldog has been accepted into the Investigative News Network. The Investigative News Network is a national collaboration of nonprofit journalism organizations that conducts investigative reporting in the public interest.

Only 40 organizations have been offered membership by the Investigative News Network. Membership requires meeting rigorous operational and reporting standards and solidifies Bulldog’s position as a credible source of hard-hitting local news.

The decline of the for-profit print newspaper industry has sparked a burgeoning not-for-profit model which recognizes the changing landscape of news delivery and consumption. Successful news organizations are moving away from the labor-intense and high-overhead printing process to one of 2.0-based efficiency, around-the-clock access and mobility.

However, instant news gratification must have checks and balances to ensure the integrity of the source and the content. Voluntary membership in The Investigative News Network is one way on-line, non-profit news organizations can be held accountable for their business practices and the information they gather and release.

“To be recognized by our peers for our contributions to this emerging model is one of the best compliments we can receive,” said Dan Christensen, Editor of Broward Bulldog. “We look forward to helping build the foundation of collaborative journalism and learning from one another.”

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Broward Bulldog is an independent, not for profit online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information about contributions and sponsorships, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected].

News from Broward Bulldog

For immediate release

Date: June 10, 2010

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

Re: Broward Bulldog Announces Board of Directors

FORT LAUDERDALE – Broward Bulldog, South Florida’s first non-profit investigative online news source, is pleased to announce its board of directors.

These individuals have agreed to volunteer their time to provide expertise and input for the organization’s business principles and practices and to help Broward Bulldog become the county’s premier local news site.

Jay Alexander – Chairman, InTown Publishing and Intown411.com

Alexander is a South Florida businessman who founded InTownUSA Publishing in 2006. The Intown411 website is dedicated to what’s happening in Fort Lauderdale’s entertainment and dining scenes. Alexander also owns and operates pedicab companies in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Washington, D.C., Boston, Newport, RI and New York City.

Kevin P. Boyd – Owner of Boyd Public Relations and former managing editor, Hollywood Sun-Tattler

Boyd enjoyed a 17-year, award-winning career as a newspaper reporter and editor for such major news providers as the Chicago Tribune Co., Knight-Ridder, Scripps Howard and United Press International. For the past 19 years, he has worked as a senior account executive and partner/owner at three prominent Florida public relations firms.

William H. Frank – Certified Public Accountant

Frank, of Pembroke Pines, is one of the nation’s foremost forensic accountants. His firm provides specialized professional services to attorneys and accountants involved in federal criminal trials for fraud, tax evasion conspiracy in tax fraud and commercial transactions, money laundering, and director and officer liability and corporate shareholder litigation.

Lisa Gibbs – Senior Writer at MONEY magazine and former executive business editor of The Miami Herald

Gibbs has covered a variety of personal finance topics since joining MONEY in 2009. As the Herald’s executive business editor, she supervised business coverage in print, radio and online. During her tenure, the Herald’s Business section twice won a Best in Business award for General Excellence from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW). Gibbs is on the board of SABEW and chairs the organization’s international committee, which is working on projects to promote business journalism excellence outside the United States. Born in Hollywood, she graduated from the University of Miami and is a 7th-generation South Florida native.

Florence Beth Snyder – First Amendment attorney and former Administrative Law Judge in the Southern District of Florida

Snyder is a former general counsel to Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc.  Her media clients have included Miami ‘s Channel 7, USA TODAY, the Ft. Myers News-Press, the Independent Florida Alligator, and radio talk show host Randi Rhodes. Snyder has chaired The Florida Bar’s Media Law Conference and Reporters’ Workshop, and is a past recipient of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County’s Juvenile Advocacy Award.  She was a Supreme Court appointee to the Board of the Florida Bar Foundation, and sits on the advisory board of the Bureau of National Affairs’ Media Law Reporter. She has served as a trustee of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a school for journalists which owns the St. Petersburg Times. She lives in Tallahassee.

–30–

Broward Bulldog is an independent, online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and share our links with your networks. Broward Bulldog is a 501(c)(3) organization and is supported by your tax-deductible contributions. For more information, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected].

News from Broward Bulldog

For immediate release

Date: June 2, 2010

Contact: Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, 954-817-3434 or [email protected]

Re: Broward Bulldog receives not-for-profit status; contributions now tax-deductible

FORT LAUDERDALE – Broward Bulldog, South Florida’s only independent online source for investigative journalism, has received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.  An IRC 501(c)(3) certification opens the door for the organization to accept tax-deductible contributions to pay for operating expenses and to continue to fill the investigative news void left by large staff reductions at area newspapers.

Print publications around the country are faced with declining subscription and ad revenues and have had to cut back staff and reduce coverage to stay in operation. A new niche journalism model is emerging;  not-for-profit news sites are taking up the slack and delivering the news by adapting to the new market reality of media.

Broward Bulldog was launched in October 2009 and regularly posts articles about Broward County’s judicial, political and business communities. Articles are distributed on the website, through Twitter and Facebook, and have been picked up by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Miami Herald and many other online and print publications. The site has experienced significant growth since its inception, attracting nearly 35,000 page views in May.

The new tax-exempt status also makes Broward Bulldog’s first fund raising initiatives possible. Bulldog can now apply for foundation grants, embark on email marketing and internet outreach campaigns, plan special events and engage in one-on-one networking.

Solid, credible news comes from experienced journalists and editors who must be compensated for the critical work they do. Bulldog will raise money to pay for the research, interviews, reporting, writing, editing, photography – the essential elements of news – and marketing necessary to build the organization.

“This recognition is an important step toward establishing Broward Bulldog as the go-to watchdog resource for Broward County’s 1.75 million residents,” said Dan Christensen, founder and editor. “It is not our intent to replace or displace any of the area’s respected news sources. We believe there is a role for each of us. In a very short period of time, readers have come to trust Broward Bulldog to keep an eye on our community and watch out for corruption and injustice. Contributions will ensure we meet that goal.”

–30–

Broward Bulldog is an independent, not for profit online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety. For more information, contact Kitty Barran, Director of Business Development, at 954-817-3434 or [email protected].

News from Broward Bulldog For immediate release

Date: January 15, 2010

Contact: Kitty Barran, director of development. 954-817-3434 [email protected]

FORT LAUDERDALE — Independent online news source Broward Bulldog is making headlines — literally. An article posted on www.BrowardBulldog.org on Monday went viral this week making news in Chicago, New York and Washington, and hit the front pages of dozens of blogs and general interest websites around the country. That kind of buzz underscores the power of the Internet for news distribution and the appeal of well-written, journalistically sound stories.

The saga about a 78-year-old woman who was inexplicably lost for more than two weeks in the bowels of the Broward County, Fl. judicial system resonated with readers. After being overlooked by the public defenders’ office, Gabrielle Shaink Trudeau spent 15 days in Broward County Jail for a traffic ticket. She was ordered released at her arraignment in December after prosecutors told a judge her license was not suspended.

Traffic on the Bulldog website logged more than 25,000 hits after the story went up Monday morning, and posted comments included, “shame on you all,” “When you don’t have accountability and you don’t have to make a profit, you end up with mediocrity,” “EVERY person who could have made a difference but did nothing — should be disciplined,” and “Talk about falling through the cracks!”

Reporting that generates that kind of visceral reaction does not come cheap, but steep declines in newspaper circulation and advertising have threatened that traditional community service. In fact, it cost Bulldog reporter and editor Dan Christensen his job. After nearly 30 years as an investigative reporter, Christensen was let go from the Miami Herald in the second quarter of 2009 because of budget cuts. They simply couldn’t afford to keep him on staff.

Christensen passionately believes that good journalism is worthwhile journalism no matter how it’s distributed, but also knows that you can’t get something for nothing.

“The market no longer delivers all the news and information our democracy needs,” said Christensen. “We’ve moved from a printed, subscription- and advertising-based model that generated enough revenue to pay reporters’ salaries, to a free on-line news distribution system that ignores the costs associated with in-depth investigative journalism. The free model might support blogs and consumer activism but cannot sustain quality reporting. We must find a way to keep watchdog journalism alive.”

The non-profit Broward Bulldog is building on the successes of alternative journalism sites around the country which recognize that people no longer get the bulk of their news from a printed newspaper, but get it in their inboxes, find it posted on their Facebook pages or receive it from their Twitter accounts.

By applying for grants, soliciting sponsorships and accepting advertising dollars, Christensen hopes to cover the overhead that comes with delivering a quality news product. But individuals who rely on alternative news sources will have to accept more responsibility to fund their existence. Christensen is exploring voluntary membership funds, similar to those raised by public radio, as a way to keep the Bulldog operating.

“I encourage anyone who sees the value in this kind of journalism to donate. Your contribution is truly the difference between knowing and not knowing what’s going on – these stories are no longer coming only from for-profit newspapers. We love what we do, we do it for those who have no voice, no advocates, but we can’t do it for free.”

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Broward Bulldog is an independent, not for profit online-only newspaper created to provide authoritative local reporting in the public interest. We are Florida’s first non-profit regional news site staffed by veteran, professional journalists. Our reporters will provide issue-oriented and investigative coverage of government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health and public safety.

We begin as an all-volunteer operation and will continue only through the financial support of concerned individuals, foundations and businesses that value local news and watchdog journalism. To give your support, visit http://www.BrowardBulldog.org and click on “Donate.” Broward Bulldog Inc. has applied for federal tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization.

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Latest comments

  • True and nicely done!

  • bravissima, encora bella donna, muy bien

    bi

  • Very Impressive board and congratulations. Broward Bulldog was overdue and its nice concerned residents can read the “down and dirty” on the areas that effect them…Plus I always loved the name..

  • As I web-site possessor I believe the content material here is rattling excellent , appreciate it for your efforts. You should keep it up forever! Good Luck.

  • Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological
    world all is accessible on web?

  • I know for a fact Jason Lee Marcus of Broward County Police is a sick vicious person he told his relavtives that he hates the homeless and when he sees them in the street he kicks them in the head. He is a racist and he said since his family is filled with homosexuals that if he had a kid and it was a homosexual he would beat the homosexual out of him. That was told by his wife Natalie to his family members. His aunt is gay, his sister is gay, and other members of his family. Watch out for him he is unstable. He bragged about police brutality charges against him for years and laughed them off.

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