After years of writing for newspapers that he felt stifled his creativity and freedom of expression, UB Distinguished Professor of English Bruce Jackson found his outlet by creating the Buffalo Report, an free online publication rapidly gaining notice for its cutting political commentaries.
Jackson started the Buffalo Report, available at http://www.buffaloreport.com, in May of 2002. The professor said it gives him free reign over issues that he was barred from discussing while he worked for other publications.
"I was writing about public affairs for Artvoice," said Jackson. "I was told that I couldn't write about certain political figures - they were protected."
"(Jackson) did a lot of really good work here," said Jamie Moses, publisher of Artvoice. "He felt that he was being censored. We disagree with that."
In his online publication, Jackson addresses controversial issues such as Gov. George E. Pataki's political career, American involvement in Iraq, and the proposal of introducing torture as an interrogation tactic in America.
Jackson also wrote for the Buffalo News, but said he now questions the journalistic integrity shown in several of the News' articles.
In one of his first articles for the Buffalo Report, titled "Buffalo News Watch: The War Against James Pitts Heats Up," Jackson criticizes the paper for trying to sway public opinion against the local politician.
"The Buffalo Report isn't concerned about money, it's concerned about communication and the truth," said Pitts, president of the Buffalo Common Council.
Despite the controversial issues it addresses, Jackson said his publication has been well received and he has not heard any negative feedback thus far.
"We have a lot of trash on the Internet and the media," said Pitts. "I think Bruce's Buffalo Report is smart and intelligent. He has information that no one else does."
Sullivan, who said she has seen the Buffalo Report a few times, said diverse media voices are what make news reporting well rounded, and that "alternative voices are always welcome."
The only cost to run the Web site is an annual fee of $15, which Jackson pays out of his own pocket. The fee is based on the amount of traffic on the Web site and article storage.
Although Sullivan believes that newspapers via the Internet will never overshadow the news in its traditional newspaper form, Jackson's site has a wide array of subscribers and has even received comments from other countries, such as Australia and Poland.
"I never intended to do this much," Jackson said. "It just grew up around me."
