NJ21st, Journalism and Ethics
Updated 05/02/2025 1. Truth & Accuracy “Evaluate the value of various sources of information.”We verify every article using public records, OPRA requests, and firsthand attendance at meetings. Even our Community Voices pieces go through this process. Fun fact: we were the only news outlet to submit OPRA requests to the District within the BHPSNJ Business Administrator’s most recent report. “Check...
Fear of Facts: A Response to Councilwoman Poage’s “Fake News” Claim
The March 18th council meeting served as yet another reminder of how some elected officials misuse their platforms to undermine fact-based journalism. Unfortunately, history repeated itself. Councilwoman Susan Poage followed this well-worn path, spinning legitimate reporting with a “fake news” narrative during Tuesday’s meeting. Yet, despite her grandstanding, she failed to cite a single instance of misinformation—because none existed. This...
03/15/2025 Update on Fire Prevention Bureau Petition
The Following Email was Sent to Individuals That Signed the NJ21st Fire Prevention Bureau Petition Hi Everyone, This email is going to all who signed the petition and provided an email address. Petition Update Since launching on Saturday, March 8th, the petition has gathered 286 signatures. Seven signatures were removed due to a lack of verifiable information. New Information...
Petition To Keep The Fire Prevention Bureau Under The Fire Department
We have created a petition encouraging Mayor Devanney and the Town Council to keep the Fire Prevention Bureau with the Fire Department. Please review the petition and consider signing if you agree. Link to Petition
Help Us Shine a Light on Local Government
NJ21st is dedicated to expanding its reach and bringing fact-based, independent reporting to more communities. As a nonprofit platform, we focus entirely on local government—Town Councils, Boards of Education, County, and State—ensuring residents stay informed and engaged. We’ve had great success in Berkeley Heights, helping residents stay up to date with local governance, and we want to extend the same...
Spreadsheet of Vendors Approved by Town Council and Contributions to NJ Political Campaigns
Over the past two weeks we’ve published several articles on the three Town Council Meetings to date that involved a whirlwind of Agendas, Resolutions and the Dissolution of the Local Ethics Board. We have compiled a spreadsheet that provides a quick reference that will be updated after each Council Meeting and is available on our Resource Page Link to 2025...
NJ21st Statement on Community Voices Articles
Community Voices articles are contributions from guest writers whose submissions do not undergo the standard editorial vetting process applied to our regular articles. However, this does not necessarily diminish their factual accuracy or significance. Unlike many media outlets, we do not remove Community Voices articles at the request of elected officials or government bodies. There is a troubling history of...
Message from NJ21st to Our Neighbors in Berkeley Heights, NJ
As an independent source of information for our community, we take pride in being both outspoken and impartial. Over the past three years, we have never turned away an elected representative or township official who wanted to engage in meaningful dialogue. We’ve consistently offered opportunities to those with differing viewpoints, inviting them to join us for open and honest debate....
NJ21st – Three Years of Shining a Light
This year, the team had serious discussions about whether we would shut down, keep doing what we were doing, or expand. Given the level of disinformation and the collusion of powerful groups in this community around issues, we did not feel we had a choice but to continue. There is no way that accurate information would get to anyone about the local government if...
Berkeley Heights Community Watch is now NJ 21st – here’s why…
Now welcoming content from all communities in New Jersey’s 21st District Over the past year, the team has been discussing expanding the site. We’ve recognized that, throughout the state, there needs to be more space for diverse and independent voices to share substantial perspectives on essential topics. No space prominently features citizen-driven commentary on local government. These perspectives are often...
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