I’ve lived in Poulsbo long enough to appreciate what makes this community special.
It’s the people, the locally owned businesses, the community organizations, the schools, the traditions and the neighbors who care deeply about the place they call home.
It’s also a community, like many throughout Kitsap County, where important things are happening every day.
Decisions are being made at city hall. School boards are wrestling with budgets and policies. Businesses are opening, expanding and sometimes struggling. Public safety agencies are responding to emergencies. Residents are raising questions about growth, transportation, housing and the future of their neighborhoods.
These are stories that matter.
And increasingly, I was finding it difficult to get consistent, dependable local reporting about them.
As a Poulsbo resident, I shared a frustration I’ve heard expressed by many others across Kitsap County. The availability of reliable, comprehensive local news seemed to be shrinking while the need for it continued to grow.
There was plenty of information circulating on social media. Plenty of opinions. Plenty of speculation and commentary.
But information isn’t necessarily journalism.
A Facebook post about a city council decision isn’t the same as having a reporter attend the meeting, examine the documents, ask questions and explain what happened.
A rumor about a local business isn’t the same as talking with the owner and reporting the facts.
And an argument in an online community group isn’t a substitute for fair, accurate reporting that gives residents the information they need to form their own opinions.
I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated by that gap.
Then one day, something occurred to me.
Why was I complaining about a problem that my own company was uniquely positioned to help solve?
After all, local news and community storytelling are what we do at Ward Media.
For decades, I’ve worked in community journalism, helping lead newspapers and media organizations that cover the places where people live, work, raise families and build businesses.
Today, Ward Media publishes community newspapers, regional news websites and business and lifestyle magazines across Washington.
We know how to cover local government. We know how to tell the stories of small businesses, community organizations and everyday people doing extraordinary things.
We understand the challenges of sustaining local journalism, and we believe deeply in its importance.
So instead of continuing to complain about the growing news void in Kitsap County, I decided it was time to do something about it.
That’s why we launched West Sound News.
Our mission is straightforward: Provide Kitsap County residents with reliable, independent, locally focused journalism that is accessible to everyone.
We’re beginning with a strong emphasis on Poulsbo and North Kitsap, including Kingston, Hansville, Suquamish, Indianola, Keyport and Port Gamble, while also covering issues affecting the broader county.
And we intend to expand our coverage into more Kitsap communities as we grow.
We want to report on the decisions being made by local governments, school districts and other public institutions.
We want to cover public safety, business, education, high school sports, community events and the issues that affect everyday life.
But just as importantly, we want to tell the stories that remind us why this is such a remarkable place to live.
The small business owner taking a chance on a new venture.
The teacher making a difference in a student’s life.
The volunteer quietly giving countless hours to help others.
The local athlete achieving something extraordinary.
The community organization finding a creative solution to a difficult problem.
Those stories deserve to be told, too.
Good local journalism isn’t just about identifying problems. It’s also about recognizing accomplishments, connecting neighbors and helping people understand the community they share.
We also believe that news should be accessible.
That’s why West Sound News has no paywall.
Every story is free to read, regardless of whether someone can afford a subscription.
We’re also building a free daily email newsletter to bring the day’s important local stories directly to readers’ inboxes.
Of course, producing journalism isn’t free.
Reporters need to be paid. Public meetings require coverage. Records must be reviewed. Stories take time to research, verify, write and edit.
Our business model depends on local advertising and voluntary reader contributions to support that work.
We’re asking businesses that value an informed community to consider advertising with us. We’re also inviting readers who believe local journalism matters to make a contribution, at whatever level makes sense for them.
Those contributions are voluntary. Nobody will have to pay to read our reporting.
And whether someone advertises or contributes financially will never determine how we cover a story.
Our responsibility is to the facts and to the communities we serve.
I also want to be clear about something else.
We’re not launching West Sound News because we believe we’re the only people capable of doing good journalism in Kitsap County.
There are dedicated journalists and publications doing important work here, and I respect that.
But no single newsroom can cover everything happening across a county as large and diverse as Kitsap.
There is room, and a genuine need, for more local reporting.
Our goal is to add to the community’s access to dependable information, not diminish the contributions of others.
And we’re not suggesting that we’ll get everything right.
We will make mistakes. When we do, we’ll acknowledge them and correct them.
We will ask difficult questions and sometimes publish stories that make people uncomfortable.
That’s part of journalism.
But we’ll also strive to be fair, provide context, seek different perspectives and distinguish verified facts from opinion.
Our purpose isn’t to manufacture controversy or turn neighbors against one another.
It’s to help people better understand what’s happening around them.
That commitment is especially important to me because this isn’t simply another market on a business plan.
This is home.
The decisions made here affect my neighbors, my friends and my family, just as they affect yours.
I have a personal interest in seeing Kitsap County remain a place where people are informed, engaged and connected to their communities.
And I believe local journalism plays an essential role in making that possible.
West Sound News is still in its early days. We have much to build, and we know earning the trust of readers takes time.
We can’t do it alone.
We need residents to share story ideas, send news tips, submit letters to the editor and let us know when something important deserves attention.
We need local businesses to recognize the value of reaching customers through independent community journalism.
And we need readers to hold us accountable to the standards we’ve set for ourselves.
Most of all, we need people who believe their communities are worth paying attention to.
You can learn more about us at westsoundnews.com/about-us, sign up for our free newsletter and find ways to support our reporting at westsoundnews.com/support.
I’ve always believed that a community is stronger when its residents know what’s happening, understand the decisions affecting their lives and have opportunities to share their stories.
That belief has guided much of my career.
And now it’s guiding this new chapter for Ward Media.
For a while, I was one of the people wondering why there wasn’t more dependable local news coverage in the place I call home.
Then I realized I was in a position to help change that.
So we did.
West Sound News is our commitment to being part of the solution.
And I hope you’ll join us in building something Kitsap County can count on.
Terry Ward is the founder, CEO and publisher of Ward Media and a Poulsbo resident. He can be reached at terry@ward.media.
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