The Philadelphia Citizen is a nonprofit media outlet that uses solutions journalism, thought-leader events and calls to action to revive democracy and citizenship in the American city where they were born.
The Philadelphia Citizen is part of the nonprofit Citizen Media Group, which serves as the go-to voice for how to live well and do good in Philadelphia. Across many platforms, its lifestyle service, compelling storytelling, and solutions-focused reporting connect readers to the city they love, and to each other.
In addition to The Citizen, Citizen Media Group includes Philadelphia magazine, a trusted chronicler of life in and around America’s greatest city that celebrates the people, places, history, food, culture and vibrant communities that make up our region; Philadelphia Wedding, a comprehensive resource for readers planning stylish, modern weddings in the region; and Philadelphia Home & Design, covering the stories and inspiration behind the region’s most beautiful homes, and the professionals who help create them.
Read us here, at Philadelphia magazine, and in print. Listen to our podcasts: CitizenCast, Philly Mag Today and How to Really Run A City. Subscribe to our newsletters here and here.
Meet the Team | Meet the Board of Trustees | Sponsors & Supporters
WHAT DO WE DO?
Media that chronicles only what’s wrong without considering how to fix things is only doing half a job. The Philadelphia Citizen looks at problems through the lens of solutions, seeks fixes to what ails the city, shines a light on our city’s change agents, and demands a new way of thinking from the business-as-usual crowd.
Our daily reporting chronicles businesses doing good, citizens jumping into the fray, ideas we should steal from other cities, homegrown solutions addressing everything from poverty to education to corruption in our politics. We call our elected officials to account and we amplify community voices that speak to our times. We also send out a weekly newsletter on Fridays that compiles our latest stories.
The Citizen provides practical ways for every Philadelphian to become a more active participant in the life of our city. Our Civic Engagement team pairs every article with discrete calls to action; connects problem-solvers to those looking for ways to engage; and helps folks find their own path to becoming a truly engaged citizen. Look for ways to make our democracy stronger, do your part to help local schools and teachers, vote on ideas that can move the city forward, and come together to brainstorm solutions in real-time.
We also host dozens of gatherings every year, including thought leader panels, live podcast recordings, civic conversations and our signature events: The Citizen’s annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival; Ultimate Job Interview; Citizen of the Year Awards Celebration; Integrity Icon Awards; Philadelphia’s Best of Philly gala; Whiskey Fest; Wine & Dine; and Be Well Philly Fest.
JOIN THE ARMY OF CITIZENS
BECOME A MEMBER
The Philadelphia Citizen is the region’s only member-supported, nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization with an emphasis on covering civic solutions and stimulating action to move the city forward. As a member, your contributions go directly to supporting this mission. You can go even further and become a Super Citizen Member, which also offers memberships to Committee of Seventy and Young Involved Philadelphia.
Corporate and foundation sponsors support The Philadelphia Citizen’s belief that promoting greater civic engagement and informed discourse is a direct route to a better and more productive Philadelphia. For information about advertising on any of our platforms, or about editorial and event sponsorship opportunities, please contact Chief Commercial Officer Bill Day at bill@citizenmediagroup.org.
If you don’t see an opportunity that fits what you’re looking for, send your resume to jobs@thephiladelphiacitizen.org. We are always interested in meeting passionate Philadelphians to find out how we can work together.
I am more than a resident of Philadelphia.
I am its citizen.
And I dedicate myself to the betterment of my home.
I will stand while others sit.
I will speak when there is silence.
I will read. I will act. I will vote.
I will challenge authority, and challenge myself.
I will grow and learn. I will seek out inspiration.
And I will become an inspiration to others.
I stand for Philadelphia.
It is my home.
And I am its citizen.
Take The Pledge by supporting The Citizen.
The Philadelphia Citizen retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Our organization also may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Every article in The Citizen will include a note if it mentions donors who have given a total of $5,000 or more. We will accept anonymous donations for general support if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization.
The Philadelphia Citizen believes in the power of people — our journalists, photographers and editors — to create meaningful, impactful solutions journalism with the goal of reviving democracy and citizenship in the American city where they were born.
We do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write articles or create images. We strive to be transparent in all the ways we are currently using, and will in future use, AI in our processes and reporting.
We may use AI to help draft headlines and social media posts; to identify related articles; transcribe interviews; translate articles (with human oversight); and copyedit articles according to The Citizen’s style guidelines. We may also use supportive AI features that exist within design and analytics applications. Anything published on The Philadelphia Citizen platforms is finalized by humans, who are ultimately responsible for any and all content.
Our use of AI is for the following purposes:
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- To save journalists’ time by taking care of “busy” work such as transcribing interviews and copyediting articles to meet The Citizen’s style guidelines.
- To streamline the process of posting to various social media platforms.
- To input identifying metadata on photographs, to make them more easily searchable.
- To streamline the process of making posts that are published on The Philadelphia Citizen’s website.
- To analyze user data, such as tracking how they find articles; what they are reading; and how long they spend on the website.
- To assist in the creative design process.