Help us hire additional reporters and expand operations.
The Clayton Crescent boldly stepped into the gap when Clayton County faced the prospect of becoming a news desert in 2020. We were able to do so thanks to the generous financial support of readers and civic-minded donors like you.
Watchdog journalism
We’ve held local government accountable when it sought to shut out the press and public from open meetings, taught local citizens how to navigate the Open Records process, covered unprecedented demonstrations in Clayton County and the Southern Crescent, reported on election returns and the Georgia Assembly, investigated allegations of lax COVID-19 precautions and physical abuse in the Clayton County Jail, asked why renters on the former Fort Gillem base say they were not informed of nearby toxic contamination, pushed for county officials to released COVID-19 figures by city during the height of the pandemic, and continue to make the rounds of city and county elected board meetings.
We get results
The Clayton Crescent’s aggressive reporting has made a difference in the civic participation of area residents. We shine a light on problems that others prefer to cover up.
With the help of the UGA Law First Amendment Clinic, The Clayton Crescent’s Robin Kemp got the city of Forest Park to install and staff a professional livestream so citizens could both see and hear their elected officials during COVID-19–and beyond.
Since then, both Forest Park and Clayton County have also launched portals for tracking Open Records requests from journalists and members of the public.
The Clayton Crescent does the legwork to connect citizens with the resources that matter. That includes our original mapping of little free libraries around the county as well as our Reading Room, a curated page of Clayton-specific government, legal, and historic records, and the 2021 Citizens’ Sunshine Workshop that empowered local residents with in-depth Open Records and Open Meetings information. We’re planning more community workshops at their request.
The Clayton Crescent is the only local news source providing these vital services on a consistent basis.
Clayton County and the Southern Crescent aren’t the only ones depending on The Clayton Crescent. Our enterprise reporting sets the tone for other news organizations inside the Perimeter. Our local, national, and international colleagues respect what we do and how we do it, pick up stories we break, and recognize us as the leading news authority on what’s happening in Clayton County.
Your donation keeps the lights on, the website running, and the investigations digging. Quality news does not write itself. Your monthly, annual, or one-time donation helps make it possible to pay the staff who bring you in-depth news and information about Clayton County and the Southern Crescent that no one else can.
In accordance with the Institute for Nonprofit News, we publish the names of all donors of $5,000 or more as a matter of transparency. If you or your foundation wish to make a donation of $5,000 or more, please call (678) 395-3618 directly.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom and we are transparent in our financial and editorial policies.
Your donation is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization under IRS rules and our EIN is 85-1134444.
