Dear friends,
Over the past week our small, hardworking, and now largely remote, newsroom has produced dozens of stories. Most are related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of them are intensely local.
We have published them digitally, pushed them out by email and social media, and our newspaper pages have just been transmitted to our printer. Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review and the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark will be in your mailboxes Wednesday morning. The Austin Weekly News will arrive at drop-offs across the West Side on Thursday.
Now, though, I’m asking sincerely for your help. Already we are seeing a stiff decline in our advertising. Think about it: So many of our advertising partners are announcing events and promoting gatherings and those things aren’t happening right now.
If you value independent community journalism — especially in this time of crisis and uncertainty — now is the moment to invest in our efforts. Growing Community Media, our non-profit entity, needs your financial support to keep us strong. Whether that support is a donation of $25 or $100, or a monthly gift of $10, the time is right to join us as partners in community. If you are able to give more, please do.
Be assured we know full well that there is financial uncertainty in the homes of many of our readers. And we know, because we are telling the stories, there are exceptional non-profits in each of our seven neighborhoods who also are in great need right now.
That said, accurate, current, compelling local reporting is vital. Telling the stories of how our neighbors are responding is connecting.
Please help us do our best work by supporting us.
All the best.
Dan Haley
Editor and Publisher
