About Us
Gazetteer publishes original local news written by humans and delivers it directly to subscribers via email and text, bypassing algorithms.
We believe the core reason why the media industry is failing is due to the pernicious influence of large tech platforms on the way news is distributed and commercialized.
The information ecosystem dominated by the biggest companies in the world is not benefiting news publishers, despite them being the main contributors of original and truthful information.
Meanwhile, the decline of news and dominance of platforms has led to the proliferation of online sludge – clickbait, hyper-polarization, and misinformation – and ultimately a lesser-informed citizenry that is overwhelmed with distraction but disinterested in civic affairs.
We propose to combat this phenomenon with a local news venture that radically rejects platforms for distribution and monetization.
We publish our stories on a totally paywalled website and send them to paid subscribers by email and text message.
We have minimal social media, no apps, and we don’t care about search engine optimization.
Our admittedly lofty mission is to revitalize local news in America, but we’re starting with a small team in one key city – San Francisco.
If you are tired of the way that algorithms affect the media you consume online and want to read original stories produced by humans about San Francisco, we humbly invite you to subscribe to Gazetteer SF.
Investors in Gazetteer include Byron Perry, founder and former CEO of Coconuts Media, and David Finocchio, co-founder and former CEO of Bleacher Report. Gazetteer is majority-owned by Byron Perry and made in partnership with Lede.
You can read our welcome post here.
Contact us in the following ways:
- Email: info@gazetteer.co
- Text: (415) 787-6570
- Mail: Gazetteer, 575 Market St., Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
Masthead
Gazetteer San Francisco
Joshua Bote
Associate Editor
Joshua Bote is an associate editor, focusing on the nexus of culture, trends, and digital phenomena within San Francisco.
Previously, he covered technology for The San Francisco Standard and SFGATE. He's also served as a trending news reporter at USA Today and as a music writer at NPR. His work has been published in places like New York Magazine, Billboard, and Paste.
Matt Haber
Editor-in-Chief
Matt Haber started his journalism career in 1995 as a freelance writer for Wired. He’s worked for The Village Voice, The New York Observer, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Inc., Alta Journal, and others. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Guardian.
Cydney Hayes
Business and Technology Reporter
Cydney Hayes is a business and tech reporter for Gazetteer SF. She has previously written about tech, culture, music, and media for The Drift, Architectural Digest, Baltimore, Entertainment Weekly, and elsewhere.
Eddie Kim
City Reporter
Eddie Kim reports on San Francisco news — including politics, crime, commerce, social conflict, and everything in between.
He was a longtime features writer at the critically acclaimed men’s magazine Mel, and has contributed to major publications including Vice, Slate, The Guardian and Paste Magazine. He began his career doing hyperlocal journalism at L.A. Downtown News, where he won multiple awards from the L.A. Press Club and California News Publishers Association.
Olivia Peluso
Food & Drink Reporter
Olivia Peluso is a food and drink reporter for Gazetteer SF.
Previously, she covered young founders and changemakers for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. She has contributed coverage on business, technology, and climate to publications including Vogue Business, Business Insider, and Travel + Leisure.
Joel Rosenblatt
Reporter
Joel covers the forces in San Francisco — money, business, personalities, local law, and politics — that bind the city and pull it apart. He most recently worked for Bloomberg News reporting on state and federal courts.
Previously, he covered the crime beat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was a freelancer in New York City. Before that, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal. He was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied public policy at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and has a Masters degree from Columbia Journalism School.
Gazetteer SF is a member of the CatchLight Local Visual Desk, a shared-services initiative that makes visual storytelling accessible to community newsrooms across the country.
Gazetteer Corporate
Byron Perry
Founder and CEO
Byron Perry is the founder and CEO of Gazetteer.
Before founding Gazetteer, he was the founder and CEO of Coconuts Media, chairman of the Society of Publishers in Asia, and an editor at Variety, The Phnom Penh Post, and San Francisco magazine.
Chelly Guzman
Operations Coordinator
Chelly Guzman is the operations coordinator at Gazetteer.
Prior to joining, she led marketing and project management efforts at commercial real estate brokerage firm Maven Properties. At Gazetteer, she is now overseeing HR, event coordination, marketing, and community management, amongst many other responsibilities. Chelly also previously worked at Gap and KÜHL and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.