{"id":14193,"date":"2014-04-29T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/?p=14193"},"modified":"2018-02-06T14:16:53","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T20:16:53","slug":"state-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/state-site\/","title":{"rendered":"The GDB “State of the Site:” a Declaration of Beer Writing Principles"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the celebration of our fourth anniversary in our rear view mirror we thought now might be a good time to talk about where we were, where we are and where we think we might be headed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

-Albert Einstein<\/strong> <\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve stuck with us for the duration of this journey or joined us somewhere along the way, we thank you. You\u2019ve likely seen a few design changes (which we\u2019ve included below for your entertainment). You\u2019ve weathered through some rather concise beer reviews and a brief period of press-release-reposting as we worked to find our voice. You\u2019ve also likely seen our focus bob and weave only to be pulled back to our center \u2014 that center, in our opinion, being our coverage of not just beer but also the politics of beer. (As news junkies, policy wonks and general government dorks, it\u2019s simply in our nature.)<\/p>\n

We once envisioned ourselves as an online repository for cellared beer reviews, helping craft beer drinkers find the right beers to cellar and steer clear of the ones that are less than ideal.<\/p>\n

We also pictured ourselves as a news aggregate with a touch of insight and commentary, much like Rich Miller\u2019s Capitol Fax<\/a>. (Speaking of which, have you signed up for our newsletter? )<\/p>\n

Finally, we thought we could be a go-to for coverage of the inner-workings of Illinois\u2019 beverage industry \u2014 insider reporting for the insiders.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, you\u2019ll agree with us that this little project has managed to become a decent amalgamation of all three.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ll allow us to ring our own bell, here\u2019s a for-example: Our sit-down<\/a> with outgoing Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois President Bill Olson provided what we consider a somewhat shockingly candid look at the inner-workings of one of the state\u2019s most powerful lobbies, which didn\u2019t go unnoticed by those in the industry who genuinely rely on our reporting.<\/p>\n

“This whole series was truly something that beer geeks would appreciate. Not beer geeks as we know it, but real geeks for all things beer. Well done. It’s the kind of stuff that won’t appear in mainstream media and won’t appear in ‘beer blogs’ – it’s industry insider stuff, but the stuff that many of us follow and appreciate, knowing how it all impacts what we buy.”<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

– Steve Patterson, Vice President Res Publica Group<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

In the same way that we appreciate when our sources are on the level with us, we thought a few things would be relevant to pass on to you now, in a world where \u201cbeer writing\u201d is often (too often) on the same level as \u201cbeer cheerleading\u201d.<\/p>\n

Transparency is very important to us. <\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why when someone sends us a beer to review, free of charge, we always tell you that — right up front and center. You deserve to know when we\u2019re not paying for this stuff, and we allow you to judge accordingly.<\/p>\n

Following that — we think it\u2019s important that you know that we don\u2019t ever solicit beer.<\/i><\/p>\n

Or anything else, for that matter.<\/p>\n

We have never contacted a brewer and asked for beer to review. In fact, we\u2019ve turned down about as much beer as we\u2019ve accepted when contacted by a brewery rep or PR firm. We\u2019re not terribly interested in getting freebies in the form of beverages, beer koozies, bottle openers, stickers t-shirts, flash drives, phone books, or anything else that comes straight from the minds of the marketing department. We\u2019re more than happy to pay for our beers one pint at a time, same as you.<\/p>\n

If the beer that someone wants to send us isn\u2019t accessible here or isn\u2019t relevant to what we consider our audience, \u00a0then we won\u2019t review it. And we\u2019ve been pretty frank with the people who send us beer; just because it\u2019s free doesn\u2019t guarantee we\u2019ll say it\u2019s good.<\/p>\n

We want you to know that we have worked hard to make sure you know there\u2019s no real gray area here. Maybe it\u2019s all our collective years in the general underbelly of the broadcast and political worlds, but we\u2019ve seen enough to know what we want to avoid.<\/p>\n

I believe that clear thinking, clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

– Walter Williams, The Journalist’s Creed<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

We don\u2019t solicit advertising. We don\u2019t talk up a brewery one day, and then cash their checks the next. There\u2019s nothing wrong with things like advertising, partnerships and other forms of monetary transfer, but we don\u2019t think it belongs here, and if it ever does, you\u2019ll know when any form of financial partnership is established.<\/p>\n

The best know this too. For example, Cicerone chief Ray Daniels has \u201cRevolution Brewing Investor\u201d in his twitter handle<\/a>, so if he ever says something nice about a Galaxy Hero, you know he\u2019s at least got skin in the game. Adam Nason at Beerpulse hashtags his sponsored content<\/a> so you know when something is news and when something is bought and paid for.<\/p>\n

Again: transparency is key.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that we haven\u2019t batted around the idea of \u201csponsored content\u201d before but didn\u2019t want to do anything at the time to taint our impartiality. That\u2019s not to say we won\u2019t seek out opportunities in the future but right now we\u2019re quite comfortable where we are.<\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019ve worked through some growing pains and a few identity alterations, we can confidently say that what you\u2019ve been seeing lately is what you\u2019ll continue seeing. We will continue to provide unparalleled coverage of the beverage industry including the comings of goings of brands from distributor to distributor, the legislative happenings at the statehouse and coverage of the state\u2019s beer interest groups.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also keep reviewing beer from our personal cellar and keep doing events too. South of 80: A Celebration of Downstate Brewers<\/a> has become an annual thing and we have a few other ideas up our sleeves as well.<\/p>\n

No one can be everything to everyone, and we\u2019re not terribly interested in trying. We\u2019re going to do what we do well \u2014 what we do best \u2014 which is keep tabs on the nitty-gritty of an industry that few have the connections or know-how to cover. We appreciate you sticking with us for as long as you have, and we hope that you\u2019ll continue to do so in the future.<\/p>\n

Guys Drinking Beer Over the Years<\/strong><\/p>\n