At the recent Online News Association awards ceremony, the Gotham Gazette's Editor in Chief Jonathan Mandell was getting antsy. His site was a finalist in several categories but it wasn't winning any of them. But the best was yet to come: The site took top honors in General Excellence in Online Journalism for an independent site with 200,000 or fewer unique visitors.

The prize is one of many the Gotham Gazette has won in the past few years: The online magazine won an ONA award for service journalism in 2002, and has earned awards from The New York Public Library, The Pew Center for Civic Journalism and the American Planning Association.

So why does this wonkish site for NYC policy junkies keep winning so many awards? The answer is simple, and not so simple. The simple part is a sharp focus on local city issues, from the arts to housing to waterfront development. The not-so-simple part is staying focused while also building out fantastic multimedia features on the city budget, Brooklyn judges scandal, and the Ground Zero rebuilding project. Not to mention original reporting, news roundups from local papers, and Weblogs written by city newcomers.

All this from a staff of 5 1/2, including uber-New Yorker Jonathan Mandell, who serves as editor in chief and head schmoozer at the Online News Association conventions (he's been to all four). Mandell, 48, sent me a bio explaining that he is a "third-generation New York journalist who has written over the past quarter century for publications that begin with every letter of the alphabet except 'K,' 'Q,' 'X' and 'Z.'" But he's also self-deprecating, peppering his e-mails and phone conversation with jokes and colorful asides.

"I am of course delighted by all of the recognition the site has been getting," he said via e-mail, "and a bit flabbergasted by it too. I mean, this is a site named after the newspaper that Batman reads!"

The Web advantage

While the ONA has heaped praise on the Gotham Gazette each year, Mandell admits that it was the ONA conferences that helped inspire his multimedia features. In fact, he points out how the Ground Zero Planner is modeled after a similar Web feature from The Herald of Everett, Wash.

But the multimedia games are just another way that the Gazette makes dull-as-a-bread-knife civic issues fun. The site also has a playful, cartoonish graphic design and an emphasis on clickable maps. Plus, it uses the online medium to its best advantage, linking to outside news sources while also building in-depth sections on issues such as the post-9/11 rebuilding project downtown.

"There is so much the Web can do -- e-mail newsletters, linking, interactive games, instant and constant public participation -- that makes it not just sensible, but fun," Mandell said. "We are harnessing the power and knowledge of all those engaged in the civic life of NYC, from commercial publications to public agencies, and this is something we can do only because we are online (and thus can link to everything) and nonprofit (and thus aren't a threat to anybody)."

Mandell said the site has basically doubled its audience in the last year -- to 70,000 unique visitors in September 2003 -- and has about 10,000 total subscribers to its e-mail newsletters. Along with the site's playfulness and depth, another strength of the Gazette is its outreach to so many public officials. Mandell says 49 of the 51 City Council members have written for the site.

Michael Kuo, a project coordinator of Imagine New York -- a civic coalition formed after 9/11 -- has also written for the site, and says his group has benefited from a partnership with the site. "The site's Rebuilding NYC section is a tremendous resource, especially in the first year [post-9/11]," he told me. "The rebuilding process is so complex, and there are so many avenues to explore. They help clarify the issues, and offer a lot of resources."

Nonpartisan or left-leaning?

The Gotham Gazette was started in 1999 by the Citizens Union Foundation, a spin-off of Citizens Union, a "good government" group founded in 1897. Mandell says the Foundation is separate from the Citizens Union, with a different board of directors.

The Gazette was created through grants from various foundations, including the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and runs pledge drives from readers as well as advertisements in its quarterly print publication (which has a print run of 14,000). See a list of Citizens Union Foundation contributors here.

Mandell declined to discuss the site's annual budget, but the Citizens Union Foundation's IRS declaration (Form 990) states that the foundation spent $417,012 on the publication in 2001.

Mandell says the Gazette is completely nonpartisan on political issues, but like all publications, the site has been accused of not being balanced by people on the left and the right side of the political spectrum.

"[Some people on the left] said we weren't committed enough to social justice," he said. "On the other hand, people from The Manhattan Institute, a right-wing think tank, once or twice have accused us of being not balanced. I hate it when you have these smug people who say, 'Oh when you have people from both sides accusing you, you know you're doing something right!' It's a very contentious town and people are very suspicious when you actually give both sides of the story."

Ira Stoll, vice president and managing editor of the New York Sun, told me "overall they're left of center with a 'good government' point of view." He said you wouldn't see editorials in the Gotham Gazette similar to those in the Sun or New York Post advocating tax cuts or relaxed regulations for businesses. Stoll checks the site once a month and subscribes to its e-mail newsletter.

Brian Anderson, who is the senior editor at the City Journal (run by the Manhattan Institute), agrees with Stoll in his assessment of the Gazette.

"It leans a little to the left for our liking," he told me. "It's a good place to get New York news every day collected for you. It's a nicely designed site. It's a left-leaning site, but unlike other left-leaning sites, we find it useful."

Mark Green, a former Democratic nominee for NYC mayor in 2001 and president of the New Democracy Project think tank, comes to the defense of the Gotham Gazette as a loyal reader.

"I read and enjoy Gotham Gazette daily for three reasons," he told me via e-mail. "It summarizes what I need to know; it then has more in-depth articles on key subjects; and it's more objective than the Sun. It's smart, nonpartisan and timely, perfect for my class of urban infomaniacs."