Help Us Employ More Local Journalists & Give You More News in 2023
This is an excerpt from a letter we sent our financial contributors this month, if you’re not a subscriber yet, you can join us here. We don’t talk about this enough, but we send all our supporters a packet of native wildflower seeds in the spring and a token of our appreciation in the winter.
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
As we write to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season, we find ourselves pondering the current and future existence of Local News here, and across the region. A short 31 months ago, our founders, Tom Peterson, Robin Denning, and Cole Goodwin put up their savings to save local news in the Gorge for you.
In just 31 months, you, our cherished readers, have enjoyed CCC articles almost 2 million times! You’ve been informed of troubling information, such as convicted sex offenders running for school boards. You’ve had the info you needed to put pressure on our local hospitals to deliver the care they promised. And so much more!
Sometimes, we let ourselves ponder the current and future existence of Local News in The Gorge. National statistics around local news paint a grim picture. On average, the US is losing one newspaper every week!
Your local news is vital to a functioning democracy, and a vibrant economy. Your local news builds context, a sense of place, support for local issues, and most importantly, transparency and accountability, the pillars of our reporting.
Columbia Community Connection, your local news, is so close to sustainability. Our goal for this year is to bring on one more paid journalist. To do that, we need your help.
We want to bring you more great news.
Please support your local online news on the path to sustainability through a donation or subscription. You’ll help us fund another journalist position here at Columbia Community Connection, which will mean more, better articles, and higher reader numbers.
With your help, your community will be lifted up in ways only independent journalism can. Your local news will fearlessly lead to the future.
You, our readers, havemade it clear, you want us to focus on the truth, on verified facts. We verify facts by getting more than one quote or source for a story. We verify facts by reaching out to people and organizations in positions of authority to get the full story. We listen to our intuition, and re-check the facts until we’re sure.
You’ve asked us to be inclusive by offering Spanish language news, and writing stories that often get left behind. We’ve done just that.
Now more than ever, we know that it’s only with your support that we can build a news organization that fits with a 2023 economy.
Yours for a bright future for local news,
Tom Peterson,
Robin Denning,
Cole Goodwin
PS: We go to bed hoping local news doesn't go the way of tapes, CD’s and records. Please support your local news with a subscription or donation today. While you’re thinking about it, click on our donate button, take out your checkbook, find your Venmo app, (so many options!), just give generously to keep quality local news coming to your inbox. Thank you!
