The Turner Report had been around since October 2003 and often delved into news, investigative reporting and commentary, but did not report breaking news, updates on meetings and events and I was not running obituaries or records page material.
That all changed on November 3, 2013, when I launched the Inside Joplin family of websites. Inside Joplin was designed to cover breaking news, accidents, records and community activities.
Inside Joplin Obituaries provided free obituaries of people from this area, people who used to live in this area, relatives of local residents, people who had worked here and anyone else whose obituary would interest local readers.
Inside the Ozarks (now Inside Springfield) was originally intended to report Springfield events, but when I changed the name to make it a bit easier to follow, I also changed the scope of coverage to make it any area outside the local counties from here to the Springfield area.
Since that time, Inside Joplin has published 12,278 posts and had more than eight million visitors.
Inside Joplin Obituaries has published 7,937 free obituaries and received almost 4.3 million visitors
Inside Springfield has had 3,428 posts and had more than 1 million visitors.
The Turner Report, with 10 extra years to collect readers, has published 28,340 posts and has received more than 14 million visitors.
The blogs have had many changes over these past five years.
Inside Joplin has added daily Joplin Police Department arrests, Jasper County marriage licenses and dissolutions, U. S. Bankruptcy Court filings, has gone from posting Highway Patrol DWI arrests to all arrests, Jasper County Sheriff's Office arrests, Barton County Sheriff's Office arrests, Barton County marriage licenses, dissolutions for Newton, McDonald, Barton and Dade counties, accident coverage, agendas for governmental meetings, coverage of area police departments and sheriff's offices, including some from southeast Kansas and coverage of MSSU and Crowder College events. I intend to keep on building on this foundation and adding more features.
Inside Joplin Obituaries is publishing more obituaries daily than ever before through a wider search of funeral homes, plus funeral homes finding out about the free obits on their own or finding out from people who want to make sure their loved ones' obituaries are published on the website.
The expansion of items on Inside Joplin and Inside Springfield has also contributed to a larger number of courts and crime-oriented coverage on the Turner Report, including examinations of the criminal records of some of the people who have been charged with vicious crimes and a closer look at how our area courts operate.
Of course, I would prefer to have an even bigger operation. When I started this, I had hopes of actually adding reporters, but I have never been in a position to take that step and I am nowhere near it at this time.
That does not mean I will not keep adding to what I have been doing and provide an alternative news source for Joplin and the surrounding area.
None of it would be possible if it had not been for those of you who are reading these words. You have not only spread the word about the Turner Report/Inside Joplin blogs, but you have provided news tips, information, shared the posts on social media, and a small percentage of you have contributed financially, something that has helped me to pay for items such as access to federal courts coverage, occasional charges for documents and other expenses.
The operation continues to grow and hopefully will continue to do so well into the future.
The Turner Report
1. Webb City man with five DWI convictions charged with DWI, assault, leaving the scene of an accident
2. Highway Patrol pulls over Joplin High School principal for speeding Sunday, third speeding ticket in five months
3. Trial date set in Jalen Vaden murder case
4. Why I wrote the post on Joplin High School principal's speeding tickets
5. The Neosho High School athlete and the alleged sexual assault that no longer exists in court records
6. Report: Billy Long campaign foots the bill for $1,118 meal at Branson steak house
7. Bad words I would not let my students write, why memes are worthless and this week's top Turner Report/Inside Joplin posts
8. Former Joplin police officer pleads not guilty to child sex charge
9. DeVos dark money group funnels maximum $2,600 contribution to Ben Baker campaign
10. Governor appoints retired Joplin banker to Missouri Ethics Commission
Inside Joplin
1. Joplin man killed in crash on 86
2. Joplin Police arrest car thief 13 minutes after theft
3. Joplin Police searching for runaway teen
4. Carthage Police: Do you know these people?
5. Joplin Police Department weekend arrests
6. Joplin man injured as car goes airborne, overturns on 43
7. Joplin Police Department Arrests October 29-30
8. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions
9. Joplin Police Department Arrests October 30-31
10. Joplin teen injured in accident on Gateway Drive
Inside Joplin Obituaries
1. Chase Kirschner
2. Mike Newby
3. George Leaming
4. Rhonda Jordan
5. Greg Kassner
6. Levy Sirmon
7. Dorris Mayfield
8. Bob Bronson
9. Reed Harper
10. DeWayne Hopkins
Help support the Turner Report/Inside Joplin by subscribing or contributing using the PayPal buttons below or by sending your contribution of any size, large or small to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt A, Joplin, MO. Thank you.
| Payment options |
2 comments:
Thank you for all that you do--- copy and pasting from other websites so we can read it on your blog.
Would you allow any of your journalism students to do what you are doing?
When will we see a print edition?
Post a Comment