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Tom Murphy: A news Web site for baby boomers
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The founding editor of financial-news behemoth MarketWatch has launched a second news venture, this time targeting the aging baby boomer demographic. Called RedwoodAge.com, Tom Murphy’s online news site is already up, running and reporting.
“People over 40 don’t really care at all about the Paris and Lindsay stories,” said Murphy, a longtime San Francisco resident who now resides in Marin County. “We care much more about other things, like the war situation, education and health care issues.”
Murphy, 54, supervised the San Francisco bureau of The Associated Press, was the first Bloomberg News Northern California correspondent and was the founding managing editor of MarketWatch.
His goal now, he said, is to create an online network that links timely national and international stories with issues that connect to the baby boomer bloc, such as ways of dealing with recurring bouts of breast cancer for women older than 40, or investment advice for boomers dealing with the recent stock market fluctuations.
Most of the news on the site is culled from wire services such as AP, but RedwoodAge allows for user comments to be displayed at the end of all articles, a move Murphy hopes will encourage discourse among the site’s users. And although the RedwoodAge site is still in its alpha phase, Murphy has assembled a group of experienced professional writers to comment and blog about relevant current events.
The reader interactivity Murphy is looking to stimulate with RedwoodAge comes from his belief that the Internet can be a powerful tool for user-requested news content, especially at a time when traditional media has become, in his view, increasingly targeted toward middle-of-the-road issues because of continued media consolidation. Despite the changes, Murphy still thinks traditional media has plenty of valued guidelines to follow.
“We want to practice progressive policies, without necessarily a political bent, but with news and stories that are truly thought-provoking,” Murphy said. “And we want to combine the Internet’s personal connectivity with the quality and ethics of traditional journalism.”
Murphy employs this combination of new and old media, while targeting what he believes are the core values of fellow baby boomers.
“We specialize in social activism, critical thinking, information sharing, and the idea of living a whole life,” said Murphy. “There are thousands of stories on the wire, and I really pore over the content to make sure the news has a personal appeal to our demographic. There is really no other news outlet which is truly focused specifically on what is affects Baby Boomers.”
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Goro said:
I am a boomer. I like the web.
107 agree | 114 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe we should have a web site for boomers who live in the mid-west, too!
133 agree | 135 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Having a site for boomers makes a lot of sense. It's like having a site for San Franciscans or sports fans or artists. Diversity in information is what the net is all about. And it's good to have different perspectives in media, whether its from different age groups, different countries or different political viewpoints. There's room in cyberspace for all.
139 agree | 125 disagree
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Squirrel said:
Do not disrespect my kind. Or you may just find a nut hurled at your head from above, human.
167 agree | 128 disagree
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Doug said:
I like boomers. But we are running out of news. Big news. We need a web site about news. Trees are good, too. Squirrels? Not so much.
132 agree | 140 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Is there a site out there about redwood trees? I find them fascinating... are they endangered?
151 agree | 114 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I like the name RedwoodAge. Not only do redwoods remind me of natural beauty. But they grow hundreds of years old in a grand way. It's nice to see a news site that views world affairs and the topic of aging from that perspective.
171 agree | 128 disagree
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Dixie said:
Redwoodage... sounds, kind of... well.
160 agree | 129 disagree
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Unix Dude said:
Is there a site about the generation before the boomers? We hear so little about this generation, but people like Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and Douglas McElroy produced so much.
135 agree | 119 disagree
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Bruce L. said:
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
127 agree | 124 disagree
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Gina said:
I don't get the name. Good idea though!
138 agree | 122 disagree
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Bob G. said:
Good point. But Barry Bonds is a boomer. So is Steve Jobs. Don't forget them!
184 agree | 117 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It's nice to see journalists who think it's more important to publish stories about "war, education and health" than about Barry, American Idol and quarterbacks that love dog-fighting. Good for Redwood Age for focusing on the important things in life.
119 agree | 124 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Anyone who thinks the boomers have finished changing the world don't understand the boomers, who are now in their 40s and 50s (not THAT old). There's a lot to be done to make the world better for all generations in terms of waging peace, providing healthcare, using resources wisely and building respect for all people - young and old. Things need to change. Sounds like RedwoodAge will help with that while providing a new, independent voice in the media jungle. All good things!
159 agree | 136 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Let's face it: the boomers had a chance to really change the world for the better and blew it. The U.S. after the WWII was poised to be the greatest nation in the history of the world. What have the boomers brought us? Vietnam, global warming, pollution, George Bush, nuclear weapons, paranoia, NSA wiretaps, unfunded national debt, a disastrous public health system, and most importantly: they set the standard of apathy about the world around them that persists to this day. Want to cater to boomers? Feed them tips on how to make money on their personal stock portfolio, tell them how to keep the extra pounds off with ten new yoga positions and set up discussions on how to remodel their kitchens. This website just proves that they're the most self-absorbed nitwits our country has ever seen.
132 agree | 130 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is a great idea! It's about time for a web site that focuses on the huge issues facing boomers, like health and retirement planning, while still covering national news like the war, the economy, the environment and politics. There are lots of sites that cover Paris and Nicole. It's nice to see one that knows that isn't front-page news.
143 agree | 128 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow. It's awesome that finally old people will have a safe place to surf the internet and read stuff about avoiding taxes and sucking the working class dry on via social security. Way to go oldsters! Thanks for screwing up the environment and mortgaging the future to buy your suburban lifestyle. Losers!
162 agree | 144 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
RedwoodAge is onto something. This article crystalized what I've been thinking for a long time. Most news reports on TV, radio, web and newspapers just don't understand what we're looking for. RedwoodAge sounds like it does. More power to Murphy and his company!
203 agree | 109 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Thanks for the heads up on Re-Dwoodage. It's nice to see a refreshing, independent alternative to snarky web sites.
144 agree | 123 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It is sad to see so many entertainment type "news" stories listed ahead of articles on the Iraq war, financial, and presidential hopefuls. RedwoodAge may be just what those over 55 need to read first. Thank you for the story. Joan in Seattle
170 agree | 107 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yeah, something fresh and independent. That's what we need. It's so refreshing for an entrepreneur to create something for us instead of for the YouTube/Instant Message/Blog Generation. Sheesh!
170 agree | 135 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bravo. It's time for a refreshing, independent, heads-up for our generation. Other sites have an agenda. This site will be fair. Plus it will be edgy. But I think it will play by the rules. After all, it's time we had a fair play online!
190 agree | 141 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Right on! It's about time someone created a web site like this. Other sites all sound the same. It's good to see a fresh, independent publication.
143 agree | 143 disagree
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