User:True Pagan Warrior/The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is a news agency that covers stories of interest to the Neopagan, Heathen, and polytheist communities. It was launched in 2004 by Jason Pitzl-Waters as an effort to bring a more balanced perspective to news stories about Pagan communities and issues, and he updated the content nearly daily -- and almost entirely without assistance -- for the first eight years. Over time the site began running viewpoint columns in addition to news, and additional reporters and editors were hired since 2010. Money to pay writers is raised through an annual fund drive, which is modeled on those utilized in public broadcasting.

History
Pitzl-Waters said that he first noticed a dearth of Pagan perspectives in news stories after the 9/11 attacks. He began searching them out and publishing them in several formats before he decided on The Wild Hunt. "My goal, at first, was to prove that there was enough going out there to write something every day, several years later that mission has evolved into nurturing journalism for our community as a whole." Stories have often focused on anti-Pagan bias present in mainstream media coverage, such as when the Village Voice front page mocked the Heathen religion of Dan Halloran. "Someone once said to me, 'I can hear Christian voices anywhere,'" he said in a New York Times interview in 2013. "'I turn to your site to hear Pagan voices.'"

The Wild Hunt was a part of the Patheos Pagan channel from June 12, 2011 to October 15, 2012. Writing of the transition, Pitzl-Waters cited the server needs for the site, as well as other benefits. "In addition to their commitment to Pagan voices, Patheos has an ambitious vision for its future, one that as Pagan journalist I want to be a part of. Informing our own communities is only the first step towards building a robust Pagan media. One of the next steps is making our voices heard by mainstream news outlets. I think that being a part of Patheos at this time will help achieve that goal." He expressed concerns later in 2011 about the appropriateness of that site's ads for Pagan readers. Pitzl- Waters announced his intention to leave Patheos on October 15, 2012.

After the Patheos period, Pitzl-Waters hired writers to assist in the work, beginning with Heather Greene, Eric O. Scott and Teo Bishop, and in 2014 promoted Greene to the role of managing editor, while he himself stepped back from day-to-day management. Greene later secured the fiscal sponsorship of Independent Arts and Media to provide 501(c)(3) non-profit status for the organization, and occasionally is asked to give interviews about the Pagan perspective.

Editorial structure
While the site has been primarily a source of news from the onset, there was no formal editorial oversight prior to Pitzl-Waters hiring other writers beginning in 2012. Greene became managing editor in 2014, instituting a formal editorial process that included content oversight and approval prior to publication. Terence P Ward was appointed assistant editor in 2015 to bolster that process.

List of Wild Hunt contributors
Since Jason Pitzl-Waters launched the site, a number of writers have provided news reporting and commentary at The Wild Hunt. This is a complete list of all the individuals who have had their work published on the site.