By Rob W:
Over the last few months, something has shifted for me with Eyes on EB. Not just in reach, but in clarity.
Two recent posts, a couple of days ago, made it impossible to ignore. They were published roughly two hours apart. Over the next 24 hours, those two posts alone reached more than 30,000 views in a town of around 50,000 people. There was no controversy baked in. No clickbait headlines. No outrage engineering. Just straightforward reporting on what was happening with the Board of Education.
That matters.
Because the BOE has been, and continues to be, one of the hottest topics in town. My analytics back that up. And what struck me most is that this level of attention came at a time when many people feel the tide may finally be turning in a more positive direction. People are still paying attention even when there isn’t chaos. Even when there isn’t drama. That alone gives me considerable hope.
It also reinforced something else I’ve learned along the way.
Everyone Has Something to Say
A lot of people have a lot to say.
They just don’t want to put their name on it.
Over time, I’ve received anonymous letters at my home, complete with fake return addresses that appear local. Primarily to review the pilot funding. Emails from strange aliases. Messages relayed through third parties. Screenshots passed along with “don’t quote me.” The list goes on.
I want to be clear: I appreciate those messages. I really do. Many of them raise valid questions or point me toward things worth looking into. I don’t dismiss them outright.
But there’s a pattern that’s hard to ignore.
What’s often being asked, implicitly or explicitly, is for me to put my name on something someone else doesn’t want attached to theirs.
Why I Do This
I don’t run Eyes on EB because I’m bored. And I don’t do it because I enjoy stirring things up.
I do it because I genuinely enjoy learning.
Throughout my life, I’ve learned something about myself: if I don’t fully immerse myself in a topic, I’ll probably never understand it. I’ll skim the surface. I’ll rely on assumptions. I’ll miss the nuance.
Local government is no different.
Covering it forces me to learn how things actually work. Who knows who? Who influences whom. Where power quietly sits. Who never has to answer questions and who is constantly expected to.
And honestly, the more you connect those dots, the more overwhelming it can feel. Not in an inspiring way. In a sobering one. Sometimes even a disappointing one.
But it’s still worth understanding.
Courage in the Echo Chamber
What I’ve also learned is this: everyday people are often just as guilty as the systems they criticize.
People are brave in group chats. Brave in private threads. Brave in comment sections where they know the audience already agrees with them. Brave where the risk is low and the affirmation is high.
But when it’s time to put a name on something, everything changes.
And I get it.
Putting your name on something means standing behind it. It means being accountable for the words you choose. The assumptions you’re making suddenly tighten up. The language shifts from certainty to caution.
All of a sudden it’s no longer, “This is obvious.”
It’s, “Well, we have to be careful how we phrase that.”
That moment matters.
A Challenge
So here’s my challenge.
If you’re bold in your echo chamber, Eyes on EB would love to see how bold you are when you have to put a stamp on it.
That doesn’t mean outrage. It doesn’t mean perfection. And it doesn’t mean you won’t be questioned.
It means owning your words.
Because attention without accountability doesn’t move a community forward. But clarity, even when it’s uncomfortable, just might.
And if the last few months have taught me anything, it’s that people are paying attention. Even when things are calmer. Even when the conversation is harder. Even when there’s no drama to hide behind.
That’s worth leaning into.
