The Raincross Gazette announces its first hire: Riversider Ken Crawford joins as Community Editor
Ken Crawford, native Riversider and Editor at Large for The Riversider Magazine, becomes the first new reporter hired to exclusively cover Riverside in over a decade.
On March 4, 2024, two months after The Raincross Gazette's third birthday, Ken Crawford became the first full-time employee of The Gazette. A lifelong Riversider and California Baptist University graduate, Crawford joins the Gazette as Community Editor, working to strengthen and deepen our coverage of the good happening in Riverside.
In 2021, Crawford became a regular contributor to The Riversider Magazine and grew to its Editor at Large by the end of 2022. In addition to his role as a reporter, Crawford is joining The Gazette staff to help pioneer a unique partnership between our digitally native newsroom and The Riversider's tactile connection to our city.
"I believe Riverside deserves a rigorous, well-constructed news publication that is city-specific and comprehensive," said Crawford, "I believe that we can create a model media institution in Riverside that can serve as a guide for the mid-sized cities left behind as the news publication business evolved."
Since its inception, The Gazette has been committed to becoming the reliable local news source our city deserves committed to keeping Riversiders informed and empowered. Crawford's joining the team is another significant step toward that goal.
For the next several months, Crawford will be working to build the best Sports and Culture sections in Riverside. Once he's got a handle on that, he will begin work connecting local students to newsroom publishing, building a community advisory board to ensure the Gazette's coverage reflects and serves all Riversiders, and helping us expand and increase our coverage.
Crawford's message to Gazette readers is simple: "Look for me in the bleachers and at gallery openings and let me know how we are doing. I am taking this job in the spirit of service to the city and people of Riverside and take the work very seriously."
"I could not be more thrilled to have Ken join The Gazette," says Publisher Justin Pardee, "I pride myself on my love and commitment to the city of Riverside, and in Ken, I met someone equally, if not more, committed to the good of our city. The Gazette exists to publish news and events that ignite a spirit of neighborliness in Riverside; at his core, Ken is a good neighbor."
The Gazette has a long way to go before we are operating as the newsroom Riverside deserves; Ken Crawford will help lead us there.
Former Riverside City Councilmember and current Western Municipal Water District board member Mike Gardner will write a monthly column for The Raincross Gazette.
