About the Hub
Clear local information. Built for Northampton.
What we do
The Northampton Information Hub is a nonpartisan civic media project created by the Northampton Information Project to make local government and community issues easier to understand.
We turn public meetings, public documents, public data, and reputable research into clear, accessible information residents can actually use.
We do not promote or oppose policies, politicians, or candidates. We do not work for the City or any political organization. We show our sources, explain what they say, acknowledge what they do not say, and correct our work when we get something wrong.
Our goal is simple: give Northampton residents the information they need to understand what is happening, form their own opinions, and participate in local civic life.
Our Mission
Our mission is to close the information gap in Northampton by making complex local issues clear, accessible, and verifiable. And we link back to the underlying sources so you do not have to take our word for it.
We are not here to tell you what to think.
We are here to help you understand what is happening well enough to decide for yourself.
Why Now
Since 2005, the United States has lost nearly 2,900 newspapers and 43,000 journalists. Locally, the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Valley Advocate lost more than half of their staff through layoffs and buyouts in 2020, and the Valley Advocate later ceased publication.
At the same time, more civic discussion has moved into social media feeds, neighborhood groups, and comment threads, places where information can travel quickly without editors, consistent sourcing, or a corrections process.
That leaves a real gap.
Northampton still has important decisions being made every week about schools, housing, transportation, taxes, public safety, development, and the city budget. Residents should not need hours of free time, specialized knowledge, or a willingness to fight through hostile comment threads just to understand them.
The Hub exists to make information easier to find and easier to use.
Our Reach
Views
~80,000 per month
Engagements
~8,000 per month
Posts
12-15 per month
Policies & Transparency
Editorial Independence Policy
Northampton Information Hub retains full editorial authority over our content, employing standards similar to those adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News.
We maintain a firewall between our editorial content and our sources of revenue. Accepting financial support from a donor does not imply our endorsement of that donor, or of their products, services, or opinions, nor do we shape our work to favor the positions, works, or attitudes of our funders.
We accept gifts, grants, and sponsorships from individuals and organizations to support our mission, but our editorial judgments — what we cover and how we explain it — are made independently of donor influence.
Community Guidelines
We believe a resilient community is grounded in good-faith discussions, disagreements, and questions—not personal attacks. To facilitate a more fruitful dialogue, we have established a set of rules for moderation on all of our social media pages. Here are the guidelines we ask participants to follow to ensure the conversations stay constructive:
- Be respectful. Criticism of ideas, policies, and public actions is welcome. Personal attacks, harassment, and abusive or derogatory language directed at individuals are not.
- Protect privacy. Do not share private information about private citizens, and do not involve minors in political disputes or public criticism on our pages.
- Stay on topic. Comments intended primarily to derail, inflame, or disrupt constructive conversation may be removed at moderator discretion.
- Stick to the facts. Unsupported allegations, knowingly false claims, or misinformation about individuals or organizations may be removed. Repeated violations may result in moderation action, including bans from our pages.
Financials
Once available, our Form 990 will be posted here.
Our Team
Abby Spector
Executive Director
Abby has spent the last decade focused on social, cultural, and generational trends, with much of her research centered on the impact of social media and technology on culture and public life. She grew up in Northampton, which drives her passion for this project.
Board of Directors
Josh Silver
Board Chair
Founder of Represent.Us, a national democracy reform organization, and previously Co-founder & CEO of Free Press, one of the country’s leading media policy and journalism advocacy organizations.
Jess Dawson
Treasurer
A researcher with a background in brand strategy and communications for nonprofits and foundations, focused on making complex issues easier to understand.
Jen Nery
Secretary
A local parent, business owner, and networker, with two Masters degrees in philosophy and a background in newspaper work and teaching.