There are numerous issues that are at the forefront of our daily political dialogue: Iran, the Fiscal Cliff, Gay Marriage ... we could go on forever. Rarely, however, do we take a step back from the play-by-play to really understand why we are talking about them in the first place. Why has Iran become a place of contention? What does the "fiscal cliff" even mean? When and why did the government begin regulating marriage?

It is questions like this that IVN will ask in more frequency. As we move forward, we appreciate your input, questions, and participation in taking a broader and more fundamental look at the issues we face as a county.

Last week, IVN had the second of several pilot programs with its first "podcast" radio show where we discussed, “The Republican Brand and Young Voters."  This week, on Thursday December 20^th at 6pm PST, our very own Social Media Director, Jane Susskind, will be hosting a Google Hangout discussing "Twitter Best Practices."  The workshop will explain how journalists can better utilize twitter to disseminate information to the right people and places. For questions before, during, and after the workshop, use #askIVN on Google+ and Twitter.

IVN remains committed to providing unfiltered news in an effort to raise the level of discourse above talking points and partisan attacks. Last week, some of the topics we discussed included child poverty in the US, a new economic defense initiative in Georgia, and an amendment that extends abortion coverage for servicewomen in the US military.

Mark Your Calendars

IVN’s First Workshop

What: Twitter Best PracticesWhere: Google+ HangoutDate: Thursday, December 20, 2012Time: 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST

- Chad Peace, Editor, and the IVN Team