Not Fake News Publishes 500th Blog
Not Fake News hit a big milestone today as we published the 500th blog since we launched on September 19, 2017 with our entry, "Sick! GOP Endangers Health Care for Millions." My thanks to CJ Waldron for contributing today's milestone blog, "Why Democrats Are Not Rushing to Impeach Trump."
It's amazing, but many of the issues reported those 15 months ago still remain, as the second entry, "Medicare for All? The Debate Begins," reported on the introduction of that landmark legislation by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). That idea, of course, has now been embraced by several other Democratic candidates for the Presidency in 2020.
Certainly, in many of those 500 blogs -- perhaps the majority -- I and my growing team of volunteer contributing writers have written about governmental policy and politics. We've certainly pulled no punches on President Trump and the inept Republican leadership in Congress.
Those contributing writers include Stacy Fitzgerald, CJ Waldron, Susan Hutchinson, Joan Sloane, Sandra Ferrante-Kohn, Cecelia Blalock, Seth Mendelson and Jon Spear. I am grateful for their contributions and their perspectives, which significantly enrich the content of Not Fake News.
While Not Fake News was named in response to President Trump's constant labeling the media as "Fake News", writing about politics and taking issue with Trump is not our only purpose. However, it is true that covering and writing about politics and governmental issues have dominated my career since my first days as a 20-year-old reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier, a newspaper published for the African American community in Pittsburgh, Pa. I was the first white reporter ever hired by the Courier, a fact about which I remain exceedingly proud.
I decided to create Not Fake News in 2017 after spending some time with my brilliant son, Michael, a national special events photographer and entrepreneur. I told him that I was retiring from my editorial services company, but needed an outlet to be creative and use my writing and editing talents.
"Why don't you do a blog and write about crazy stuff?" Mike suggested. "There's lots of crazy stories out there," he said. "You'll have a blast." (Check Mike out at www.USEventPhotos.com.
I liked the idea but didn't feel "crazy stuff" was a broad enough niche for me. So, I decided to mix politics, humor, silly stories, human interest and whatever else I found interesting into my blogs. My goal always has been to provide a quick, entertaining, informative and even controversial read, and also to express my opinion.
Since the beginning, Not Fake News has evolved and grown. We have readers from across the U.S. and many countries worldwide, including Thailand, China, The Philippines, Germany, Spain, Poland, Canada, The Netherlands, Iran and more. Most of those international readers connect via online searches or social media. That is today's world.
Not Fake News has its own Twitter feed, "therealnotfakenews" which can be reached at @therealnotfake2. Established about three months ago, we have more than 2,000 followers and are growing every day. In addition, our Facebook page, established last November, continues to grow. If you haven't done so, I hope you'll "Like" that page and also follow Not Fake News on Twitter. All of our blogs are posted on those feeds as well as my BobGatty LinkedIn page.
If you haven't subscribed to Not Fake News, please consider doing so. It's free and you'll receive all of our blogs via email. You can do that by clicking on the "Join Our Mailing List" box at the right. Thanks to all those have subscribed and who comment regularly. Your thoughts enrich the overall Not Fake News experience for others.
Another innovation over the last few months was the creation of our online store, where we offer exclusive designs on shirts, caps, tote bags, mugs and more. I created most of the designs based on current events and topics, such as those supporting Freedom of the Press. You can check these items out here.
Here's to another 500 blogs on Not Fake News. I hope we make it, and that we don't tire you out!
#BobGatty #CJWaldron #StacyFitzgerald #SusanHutchinson #JoanSloane #SandraFerranteKohn #CeceliaBlalock #SethMendelsen #JonSpear #PresidentTrump #MichaelGatty