On the surface, Jose Rivera of East-Harlem.com and Marina Ortiz of East Harlem Preservation don’t have much in common. But they both possess a love for their hometown and desire to present a positive image of East Harlem in the face of perceived bias and neglect from the mainstream media.

“I think people want to feel like the people they know matter,” said Ortiz, who grew up in East Harlem and returned to the neighborhood two years ago after spending several decades in the northwest Bronx. “That’s how I shape my Web site.”

“I wanted a place where people in the community could come and see their news,” Said Rivera, a Navy veteran and lifelong New Yorker who started East Harlem.com 11 years ago.