Welcome to The Nerve, where government gets exposed.  That doesn’t happen often enough.  There are still a few good reporters in the mainstream media, and we aren’t here to compete with them (well…..maybe sometimes.  But hey, we’re for the free market – competition makes everyone better!).  There’s a void in investigative reporting on government and the politicians who run it, and the new media provides an opportunity to do more of it. 

The blogs do a good job of writing the insider’s perspective, and they break some stories from time-to-time.  We’re glad they’re out there, and we don’t want to compete with them, either.  But there’s a need for more substantive reporting from an independent source, and that’s where we come in. 

Think of The Nerve as a Capitol News Bureau, with professional reporters in Columbia (we’ve hired a few pros from the MSM – you’ll meet them on the site), and a whole bunch of “stringer” reporters across the state (those are our citizen reporters, volunteer journalists who are watching and reporting from your communities).  We’ll do some serious digging into what’s really going on with your money, especially when it comes to economic development. 

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on projects you never know about.  And yes, that is happening while they force teachers to take a furlough and fire law enforcement officers.  Legislators have a monopoly on power in South Carolina, and the ways in which they abuse it would shock even an experienced banana republic dictator.  We intend to catch them in the act as often as possible.

Here’s the deal:  we aren’t after politicians personally, and no, we aren’t promoting any candidate or campaign.  Frankly, we don’t care who gets elected.  It won’t make much difference in this state until we can change this centuries-old government that shuts out the public and concentrates power in the hands of a few of the least accountable politicians in the country.

The Nerve is a partnership with veteran journalists, citizen reporters and you.  Like the neighborhood crime watch brings professional law enforcement together with concerned residents to keep communities safer. You get the idea.  Our reporters will monitor the state budget, cover committee hearings and be at the Statehouse to provide real information in real time.  

South Carolina’s government structure is stacked in favor of a few powerful politicians, and against all of us who pay for it.  You’ll have to decide to change that.  We’re here to convince you it’s time.