Folks, we did it.

Inadvertent welcomes Katja Schatte as inaugural editor.

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Four months ago, I wrote to you about nailing my Christmas tree crooked to its base. I also wrote about why Inadvertent deserves your support and laid out a plan for what happens when the project receives enough of your support. Today that plan is happening.

I am honored to welcome Katja Schatte as Inadvertent’s inaugural editor. Katja’s thoughtful approach to language and journalism will take the writing and reporting to new heights. I have worked alongside them on some of my most impactful reporting, including stories from the SAPD Gang Series and some of The Blue Hand reporting project.

The editor role, which is on a freelance basis, is funded directly through paid subscriptions. This major step would not be possible without those commitments from supporters.

Here is Katja’s blurb:

Katja is a multilingual (English | Spanish | German) editor, copy editor, translator, and interpreter with a background in history and extensive experience editing academic, technical, and — most enthusiastically — journalistic writing. Katja is also an EMT in a busy 911 system and the parent of an extremely talkative almost-seven-year-old child.

Katja and flowers. Credit: Katja Schatte.

Readers will see an immediate impact from having Katja as an editor here. I’m absolutely thrilled to announce this.

Aside from this development, I just got back from Chicago after being invited by the Online News Association (ONA) to attend their annual conference. I was specifically invited for the work Inadvertent is doing. A huge shoutout to ONA, Project C and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism for the opportunity to attend. This, and analytics, tells me that Inadvertent is drawing an audience outside of the coverage area. It means people around the US, and few outside of it, are hearing about what all goes on around here — and they’re paying attention.

So, we’re going to keep reporting, gumshoeing, muckraking and publishing pieces that hold power to account (only this time we’re doing it with an editor!).

Lastly, hit the upgrade button already. I won’t (I will) ask again.

-BC

Edit 12:20p: A period and hyphen were added.