To clear up any confusion I might have caused, my comment was directed at the story linked to in the initial post, not at KnoxViews. Sorry if I came across as being snarky toward KnoxViews. KnoxViews clearly fills a different niche than Compass, and we in no way look at us as being in competition.

Timing matters to some more than others, and that's OK. We think our readers like to be informed as early as possible about possible developments -- real estate, political, legislative, etc. -- that could affect their lives. Not everyone cares, but the people we are trying to reach are those who are engaged and invested in the civic life of Knoxville and Knox County.

Our readers also want context and analysis. Our report on last night's City Council meeting, for example, included not only the opposition to Jim Clayton's science museum project but also where the opposition comes from -- the City Council Movement, which has gotten one of its candidates elected to Council in each of the past two cycles. We were the only outlet to report that Councilwoman-elect Amelia Parker sent an email to Council urging them to delay the vote. Chronicling the rise of a grassroots, progressive activist organization is important.

Journalism has always been highly competitive, and part of that is being first with a major story. Sometimes you're first with a story and sometimes you get scooped, but every journalist at a daily publication should want to be first.

Of course, accuracy is also vital. One Council action we didn't report on was giving an honorary name to the section of Market Street between Union and Clinch avenues. Another outlet did, but got the facts wrong. The outlet said Council renamed a portion of Market Square, but Market Street is not part of the square. And it reported the new name is Suffrage Square. That was the name proposed on the agenda, but the resolution was amended during the meeting to make the new honorary name Woman's Suffrage Centennial Plaza.

As for paying for the news, we have always looked at Compass as a niche publication for people who are keenly interested in local politics, government, education and business. That's not everybody's cup of tea, but lots of people are willing to pay for it. Charging for content puts a burden on us — which we are happy to bear — to give the readers more than they get elsewhere about the topics we cover.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps explain my perspective.

Thanks

When trying to visualize this I wondered if it was the block behind the history museum with the statue of the mother/son who cast the deciding vote. Seems that could be included or substituted as the honorary plaza.