Journalism had a bad day when the Washington Post decided recently to cut its staff by more than a third. It was just the latest squall in a blizzard of newspaper closings and contractions.
Those cuts made us check our own journalism forecast and count our blessings. Hometown news outlets face different, but no less daunting, challenges than WaPo. At the national level, there are often numerous outlets and sources covering the same story. In other words, people can get the same news from a variety of places.
However, communities such as ours rely on the local “papers” – those still printed, as well as the electronic versions – to cover schools, government, business, and a whole lot more in our towns. No one else is covering those stories in any depth, if at all.
With its steadfast commitment to community coverage, Wednesday Journal has been on the beat for 45+ years. Now a nonprofit known as Growing Community Media, Wednesday Journal and its sister publications Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review and the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark all serve their communities at the hyperlocal level.
Now, with diversified revenue streams, GCM publications are no longer dependent solely on advertising and subscriptions, though both are still solid income sources. Individual and philanthropic gifts and other income streams, such as community programs, are helping to sustain our organizations and coverage. We are grateful for those contributions, gifts and grants.
Since becoming a nonprofit, our volunteer board and other community members have stepped up to support and guide GCM in the evolving business of covering local news. These volunteers increase our capacity and outreach efforts, with events such as the new “Inside Scoop” which debuted Sunday, Feb. 1, at Robert’s Westside and showcased Forest Park Theatre Company and Comedy Plex. Future Inside Scoops will include kid-focused organizations and local resources for young families and people new to the area.
Our near-western suburbs are full of engaged citizens eager for local connections and local information to help them make informed decisions. What else can you do? If you haven’t already: subscribe to one of our newsletters. Donate to our nonprofit organization to help us continue to bring news, opinions, and information to your doorstep or computer. Ask us about volunteer opportunities. Promote GCM publications to your friends and neighbors. Speak up through our opinion pages on issues that are important to you. Stay engaged.
We appreciate your continuing support on every level. And we remain committed to maintaining the journalistic tradition started nearly half a century ago of covering local news.
We welcome feedback on how we’re doing.
Deb Abrahamson, Chris Hauri, Jessica Mackinnon, Carolyn Newberry Schwartz, Jill Stewart, Robyn Ziegler
Growing Community Media’s volunteer development and events committee
