NJ News & Views

Welcome to the new Internet home of NJ News & Views.

On March 9, 2006, a Web site hosted by America Online became the first Internet home of NJ News & Views, which provides investigative journalism and editorial commentary.

The Web sites hosted by America Online are called hometown pages.

On October 1, 2008, America Online notified members that its hosting service would be shut down at the end of the month, even though the free Internet Service Provider earned revenue from banner advertisements posted on all its hometown pages.

An America Online spokesman declined to provide a reason for the business decision.

One month earlier, NJ News & Views 2008, the current hometown page on which stories were posted, consistently failed to turn up on a search of Google or the AOL Hometown area.

An America Online spokesman declined comment.

Stories posted on the NJ News & Views hometown pages will no longer be available for view after October 31, although Google search engines began displaying the missing page at the top of search results once it was taken down. Readers will instead be able to read new posts and archived stories at a new Internet address hosted by a new Internet Service Provider.

Since its inception, many readers have referred to NJ News & Views as a blog because stories were stacked on the limited number of hometown pages provided to members. NJ News & Views will now be presented as a blog with each story posted on a separate page.

Additionally, photos that could not be sized for display on AOL hometown pages will now be posted on the NJ News & Views photoblog. Readers can view photos by clicking on the photoblog tab.

While the NJ News & Views format has changed, its editorial focus has not.

In "The Life of Reason" (1905-1906), philosopher George Santayana noted the important relationship between news of current events and history.

"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it," Santayana wrote.

NJ News & Views seeks to bridge that gap by providing news reports of current events and a platform for ideas to change them.

History doesn't have to repeat itself.

Sincerely,

Joyce Blay
Editor/Reporter
NJ News & Views