Dear reader: The News Tribune needs your help
Since February, covering the coronavirus pandemic has been the primary focus of our newsroom.
While the story is global in scale, we treat it as a local one. To navigate through and survive this challenging time, you need to know what’s happening in your state, your region and your community. We appreciate that you turn to us for that information. It’s the kind of reporting you rarely get from other local media.
From the beginning, our reporters, editors and visual journalists have produced hundreds of stories, editorials, newsletters, photos and videos examining the effects of the virus, the response of government at all levels and how people are coping during an unprecedented time.
To point out a few examples:
We explained what the governor’s ‘stay at home’ order meant for you. We wondered why more than a thousand unused COVID-19 test kits were sitting in storage in Tacoma. We described what the models predicted for our state. We showed how Pierce County hospitals transformed to prepare for a surge of coronavirus patients and how school districts responded to the closing of schools.
We looked at how the coronavirus test results put a strain on Washington’s data reporting system. We told you about TPU halting electric rate increases and what that meant for your power bill. We looked at the Tacoma-area restaurant industry and how workers were braced for a long-term “big hit” from the coronavirus shutdown. We examined the hardships of staying at home for Pierce County residents with substandard or no internet. And our editorial board urged officials to not skimp on public transparency during the shutdown.
We know you’ve found these and other stories valuable. Traffic to our website is at record levels. We intend to stay on this story for as long as it takes, but we need your help.
The newspaper business has been struggling for over a decade to cope with losses in advertising and subscription revenue in this digital age. At The News Tribune, we have not been immune. This pandemic has further stressed our business, and many media companies have responded with cuts.
We’re fighting to hold the line, like many local businesses, and so far we’ve done so thanks to your readership and support via digital and print subscriptions.
Here’s what we’re doing to preserve local news in the South Sound:
When the pandemic arrived, we made coronavirus coverage free — putting it in front of our paywall. That meant we didn’t ask people to subscribe. We’ve slowly started to put reporting that’s not in the interest of public health behind the paywall, and we hope you understand why.
If you haven’t yet, please consider extending your support by subscribing to The News Tribune or by purchasing a gift subscription. You can call us at 800-289-8711. Or, you may subscribe online at www.thenewstribune.com/subscribe.
If you’d like to help and you’re a subscriber, you can now make a tax-deductible donation to preserve local journalism. We have partnered with the nonprofit Local Media Association, which is accepting contributions on our behalf. Donate by visiting givebutter.com/thenewstribune. Your gift will help us continue to report on the coronavirus and all of its impacts across our communities. We aim to raise $82,000 to keep our reporters reporting, our videographers recording and our editors at work delivering essential news and information to you.
You also can sign up for our coronavirus newsletter: thenewstribune.com/coronavirusnews.
If you see value in what we’re doing every day, and if you can support us, please help us bridge this gap. My news colleagues will be the direct beneficiaries of your help. And so will readers across the area.
It’s a privilege for us to do this work at this critical time. We appreciate your support.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 11:04 AM.
