Real Change

Real Change is a weekly progressive street newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, USA written by professional staff and sold by self-employed vendors, many of whom are homeless. The paper provides them with an alternative to panhandling and covers a variety of social justice issues, including homelessness and poverty.<ref name=genius>Template:Cite news</ref> It became weekly in 2005, making it the second American street newspaper ever to be published weekly. Real Change is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with an annual budget of $950,000.<ref name=defends>Template:Cite news</ref>

History and Circulation

Real Change has been published by the Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project since 1994;<ref name=pi/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the paper's founder, Tim Harris, founded the Spare Change News street newspaper in the Boston area in 1992. After moving to Seattle in 1994, he started Real Change<ref name=KUOW>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}roughly at 10:30 into interview</ref> as a monthly paper with only one staff member. Later, the paper started producing every other week.<ref name=pi/>

In February 2005, Real Change began publishing weekly due to increasing interest and sales,<ref name=pi>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> making it the second street newspaper in the country to do so.<ref group=note>StreetWise, a Chicago street newspaper, went weekly in 1998. (Template:Cite book )</ref> In addition to becoming a weekly newspaper, it hired several professional journalists shifting its focus to become a broadly progressive alternative paper.<ref name=dawdy/><ref name=readers/> As a biweekly, it sold 18,000 copies every two weeks;<ref name=pi/> and now has a weekly circulation of 16,000 papers. In April 2013, the paper's price increased from one dollar to two dollars and was the sixth street newspaper to do so.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2012, it sold 872,562 copies and raised $957,949: 68.42 percent from donations and grants; 31.26 percent from circulation, advertising and subscriptions; and 0.32 percent from other sources.<ref name=2012annual>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2017, it has a yearly circulation of 550,000 copies and sales account for 30 percent of the $1.2 million budget; beginning in 2019, vendors are able to take payment using the Venmo app.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Contents

The topics covered in Real Change are a mixture of progressive local news and information specifically pertaining to the homeless and poor. Though it covers local news, it still openly advocates for "social justice"<ref name=dawdy/> and attempts to educate readers about homelessness.<ref name=pi/> Some readers, though, admit that they buy the paper more to help out and interact with the vendors than to actually read the contents;<ref name=readers>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=hsu/> this pattern of buying is common among street newspapers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Torck372>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Part of the reason for the paper becoming a weekly publication in 2005 was to attract more readers and move the newspaper's image from a "charity buy" to a legitimate source of news.<ref name=readers/>

Vendors

File:Robert of Real Change.jpg

Real Change vendor (2008)

Anyone may be a Real Change vendor. However, most are poor or unable to hold a regular job due to physical disability, mental illness, criminal records, or other issues.<ref name=hsu/> After attending an orientation and signing a code of conduct, Vendors get their first 10 papers free.<ref name=hsu>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They then buy the paper for sixty cents and sell it for two dollars keeping the difference, plus any tips.<ref name=KUOW/><ref name=dawdy>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The paper has an average of 350 to 400 active vendors each month<ref name=2011_report>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=genius/> and there as many as 800 vendors in a year, if occasional vendors are included.<ref name=pi/>

Most vendors sell within Seattle proper, although some sell in the Eastside, as far north as Bellingham, and as far south as Olympia, WA.<ref name="pi" /> Vendors may sell without restriction on sidewalks and public spaces, and sometimes need to obtain permission to sell in commercial areas like malls.<ref name=pi/> Several vendors are very successful, selling as many as 2,000 papers a month and being known as "fixtures" in the community,<ref name=hsu/> however most sell far less than that.<ref name=harris>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Real Change's "turf system" allows vendors selling over 300 papers per month to have priority at certain spots;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> according to Harris, this system allows buyer-vendor relationships to grow and for vendors to become well known in communities, and can minimize conflict and competition between vendors.<ref name=hsu/>

Not all the vendors of Real Change are homeless, several are able to afford an apartment by selling the paper and others share accommodations with others. Like Washington, D.C.'s Street Sense, Real Change does not screen incoming vendors for income or living situation, nor does it "retire" vendors after they have obtained stable housing. The paper's staff have stated, however, that the majority of vendors are living in poverty and no vendors are "living in the bling-bling" from selling papers.<ref name=hsu/>

Awards

2004:

• Susan Hutchison Bosch Award for outstanding achievement<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2006:

• First place, personalities<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2008:

• Best feature writing<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• First place, general news reporting<ref name=awards_2008>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• First place, social issues<ref name=awards_2008/>
• First place, minorities<ref name=awards_2008/>
• Third place, humorous writing<ref name=awards_2008/>
• Honorable mention, personalities<ref name=awards_2008/>

2009:

• First place, educational reporting<ref name=2009_awards>Template:Cite news</ref>
• First place, social issues reporting<ref name=2009_awards/>
• First place, Arts reporting and criticism<ref name=2009_awards/>

2011:

• First place, education news<ref name=WPA>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• First place, consumer affairs news<ref name=WPA/>
• Third place, social issues, religion, minority affairs<ref name=WPA/>
• Third place, personality profile<ref name=WPA/>

2012:

• First place, general news coverage<ref name=2012_awards>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• First place, lifestyle reporting<ref name=2012_awards/>
• First place, page design<ref name=2012_awards/>
• Second place, government and politics reporting<ref name=2012_awards/>
• Second place, feature photography<ref name=2012_awards/>
• Third place, page design<ref name=2012_awards/>

2013:

• First place, general news coverage<ref name=2013_SPJawards>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• First place, government and politics reporting<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• First place, education reporting<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• First place, page design<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• Second place, page design<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• Second place, social issues reporting<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• Second place, general excellence<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>
• Third place, sports reporting<ref name=2013_SPJawards/>

External links

• Real Change News Homepage
• Real Change Wikispace