Get the Most out of JJIE.org

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As I am sure you've discovered  JJIE.org is the best source for daily coverage of juvenile justice issues not just in Georgia, but around the United States. Every week thousands of people are logging on to find out what is happening in the lives of young people and in the issues they face. But did you know that many of the conversations taking place around our stories aren't happening on our website? The JJIE community is a lively bunch, chiming in on issues from all corners of the web. Below are some ways you can connect with JJIE outside of this website:

 

Facebook.

Leonard Witt

A Good Day for Ryan Schill and Kennesaw State University

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011 was a good day for our reporter Ryan Schill, for Kennesaw State University and for me. Wednesday, Schill became a graduate of Kennesaw State and editor John Fleming published Schill's story the Straight Dope on Fake Dope. It's a well written and researched story, and right after we posted it, Youth Today a national newspaper asked to reprint it. Of course, we said yes. For me it was a special day because last semester Schill was in my Advance Media Writing class.

Leonard Witt

JJIE.org Audience Grows Under John Fleming Editorship

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Not long ago I was bragging here about how our Juvenile Justice Information Exchange hit the 9,000 unique visitors a month mark. I thought that was really great for a niche journalism site covering juvenile justice issues. Now I am happy to report that by the end of March we hit the 12,000 monthly unique mark. Then last week it was 13,000 and this week it is 14,000 with more than 36,000 monthly page views; we are on a roll. No other entity online or offline convenes 14,000 parents, lawyers, policymakers, teens, system professions, judges and everyday citizens interested in juvenile justice.

Alternatives to prison: Group of multicultural arms an hands forming circle reaching to each other with multi-colored puzzle pieces

Journeys

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Life is a great adventure, but it’s not always easy. For all the joy, excitement and feelings of accomplishment we experience, there’s just as much sorrow, boredom and defeat. It’s like any journey. You know you can deal with the easy parts; the challenge is how to get through the bad times. The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange will start focusing on one aspect of those bad times in a few days when we profile Kyle Boyer, a teen from suburban Atlanta who went from a hopeless addiction to prescription drugs to recovery.

Leonard Witt

Show that you care, real juvenile justice depends upon you

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Since the beginning of the Georgia legislative session our reporter Chandra Thomas and our supporting JJIE.org staff of editors, interns and freelancers have been closely watching all legislation aimed at juvenile justice issues. Thomas had two excellent round-up stories yesterday and today targeting which bills would move forward and which would not on crossover day. I opened my Atlanta Journal-Constitution today to see how its coverage of these juvenile justice bills compared with ours here at the JJIE.org. From what I could see there was nothing to compare. I saw nothing about Senate Bill 127, which is a rewrite of the juvenile code.

Updates you may have noticed

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Greetings from JJIE's social media desk. If you're familiar with the site you've probably noticed some new features popping up the past few days. If you're new then you may be looking for the best way to get involved or make the most of your visits. At the bottom of each article you'll notice some updated 'sharing' features along with a 'report an error' button and a psuedo-pop-up welcoming our Interim Editorial Director John Fleming to the ranks. While the pop-up isn't here to stay, we think the other changes are a step in the right direction.

Witt Announces Editorial Staff Changes at JJIE.org

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Ellen Miller, the editorial director for the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE.org), has left to take a job managing a 100-person, TV newsroom in Cleveland, Ohio. She will be replaced on an interim basis by John Fleming, editor at large for The Anniston (Ala) Star.  An advertisement will be placed soon for a full-time replacement for Miller.  Watch this site for "Communication Professional III." We are extremely proud of Miller's accomplishments with the JJIE.org.

Hip-Hop, H.Y.P.E. and Healing

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I was still in Columbus, Ohio wrapping up my Kiplinger Public Affairs Journalism Fellowship at the Ohio State University when I first heard about Dr. Adia Winfrey’s H.Y.P.E. Hip-Hop Therapy. I came across it while attempting to locate some information on hip-hop’s global impact for a fellow classmate. It turned out to be yet another jewel of a find, during one of my famous (maybe infamous?) insomnia-driven Google searches that tend to take place in the wee hours of the morning. I was so very intrigued by the concept of using hip-hop as a vehicle to help troubled kids open up in therapy, that I couldn’t stop reading about it. My enthusiasm soared when I realized that “Dr. Dia,” as her clients call her, was based in the metro Atlanta area.

Leonard Witt

Thanks 9,000 JJIE.org Visitors, We Will Make a Difference

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I love to give you updates because they are so positive. Today the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, JJIE.org, broke the 9,000 unique visitor per month mark and we have had more than 20,000 page views for the month. Each weekday nearly 500 visitors come to the site with more than 800 page views. Of those, about 40 percent are coming from Georgia. Remember we are a small niche news operation, but this rapid growth in numbers tells me we are on to something important.

JJIE.org SchoolHouse Witness Project in National News Challenge

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As you know, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange is a trial project to find new ways to support the coverage of important niche issues that the mainstream media no longer covers. So we are always looking for ways to improve our coverage, especially in reaching out to you to supply information that our reporters need to know. In this digital age we have to make that as easy as possible; hence, our idea for the SchoolHouse Witness Project. I like it a lot and submitted it to the Knight News Challenge, which underwrites innovative ideas. We are now in the Second Round of the competition.