Turner Report/Inside Joplin continues adding coverage- Does it have any value to you?

In 2011, in the aftermath of the Joplin Tornado, I made a decision to start printing the obituaries of those who were killed.

I did not expect the obituaries to bring much traffic to the blog, but I was trying to publish as much news about the tornado as I could and having been the editor of both daily and weekly newspapers, I know that obituaries are news.

People read those obituaries and when John Hacker and I decided to publish our book about the tornado, 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado, we put those obituaries in the book. Since that time, I have had many people tell me how much they appreciated that.

It also brings home the fact that it was not just 161 people who were killed. These were people who had lives, families, hopes, dreams, all cut short by one of the worst natural disasters in U. S. history. One obituary can bring home the depth of a tragedy more than any statistic. One hundred sixty-one obituaries even more so.








At that point, I had no thought of publishing any other obituaries, though I have always carried posts on people who have been in the news who died or people whose passing had an impact on me and/or the community.

In 2013, when my teaching career abruptly ended (and for those who have asked, my federal lawsuit is still active), I made a decision to try full-time blogging and a one-man news operation while I searched for a teaching job.

In November 2013, the sixth anniversary passed last week, I created a series of blogs to go with the Turner Report.

Inside Joplin, Inside the Ozarks (now Inside Springfield) and the Turner Resports were born, and I decided to create a separate blog, Inside Joplin Obituaries, that would publish free obituaries. It has always been my belief that newspapers should not be charging to print news stories and that is what obituaries are.

I began receiving obituaries from area funeral homes and kept adding more and more, printing obituaries of people who live or who have lived or who have a connection to Jasper, Newton, Barton and McDonald counties.

This morning, I published the 10,000th obituary since the blog was launched and have already added seven more.

Back when I reached the 1,000th obituary, I made a point of announcing it on my Facebook page and was taken to task by someone who thought it was unseemly that I was celebrating the deaths of people.

That was not what I was doing at all.

I was celebrating their lives.

Inside Joplin

At the same time that the number of obituaries has been increasing, so has the amount of coverage provided through the Inside Joplin blog.

Over the past six years, I have lived up to my promise that I would continue to add more and more information. Consider the types of items that are provided on a regular basis:

Joplin Police Department Arrests
Jasper County Sheriff's Office Arrests
Jasper County Marriage Licenses
Highway Patrol Arrests
Traffic Accidents
Dissolutions for Jasper, Newton, Barton, McDonald and Dade counties
Criminal Cases Filed in Jasper, Newton, Barton, McDonald and Dade County circuit courts
Barton County Marriage Licenses
Bankruptcy Filings
Agendas for Joplin and Jasper County meetings
Coverage of Inclement Weather Situations and School Closings

Inside Joplin has also offered coverage of breaking news and community news.

With Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries to go along with the investigative reporting, state news, political news and commentary, plus the regular columns on the Turner Report, I have done my best to offer a unique news operation that hopefully provides many of the staples of community journalism- obituaries, records page material and breaking news, along with the Turner Report's record of 16 years of bringing stories to light and offering commentary on news that is important to you.

The Future

About four or five years ago, also in November, I found myself struggling to make ends meet and made the decision to ask you if you would consider taking voluntary subscriptions. The suggested price, and it has not changed, is $30 for one year, $3 per month or $1 per week.

Contributions of any amount have also been accepted.

Some of you have subscribed or made occasional contributions and those are deeply appreciated.

However, the number of people who have subscribed or contributed has remained roughly the same over the years at the same time that the Turner Report/Inside Joplin blogs have seen traffic steadily increasing.

I have run into the same problem that newspapers ran into when the internet first began. People can access my material without paying anything for it and for the most part that is exactly what they do.

When I have asked for contributions/subscriptions in the past (and I don't like doing this, but it is a necessary evil), I have told you that I would continue to build on the news product I am offering and I have lived up to that promise.

By continuing to add more funeral homes to check and more features, including the recently added criminal case filings on Inside Joplin, I have increased the number of hours blogging each day without any corresponding increase in the amount of money that is coming in.

So let me pose some questions.

Does my work have any value for you?

If the Turner Report, Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries were to stop publishing (and I have no plans of doing that), would you consider it to be a loss? (I am aware that for some it would be cause for celebration.)

If you think what I am doing has value, would you consider subscribing or making a contribution?

If so, please use the PayPal buttons below or send your contribution to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. A, Joplin MO 64801.

Thanks for your patience and thanks for your support.

Payment options

Option 1 : $30.00 USD - yearly Option 2 : $3.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $1.00 USD - weekly