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I'm on furlough for another two weeks, starting today. That's 3 weeks of unpaid furloughs in the span of one month.
I don't say that to make you feel sorry for me - I'll be fine. I'm saying that to help you understand what local journalism is enduring right now. (Thread)
I don't say that to make you feel sorry for me - I'll be fine. I'm saying that to help you understand what local journalism is enduring right now. (Thread)
Journalists across Gannett's 200-plus local newsrooms - and other local newsrooms across America - are taking more furloughs and facing more layoffs as we face the biggest global pandemic in a century and arguably one of the most volatile eras in American political history.
Given the unrest in our communities and the world, and given the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation that is wreaking havoc on our elections and our society, this is the most important time for local journalism in our generation. And it's suffering.
Local journalists aren't just gatekeepers of the truth, they're fellow community members. They're loving friends, patrons, parents and spouses. Most of them enter this line of work not because of money or notoriety, but because of a genuine desire to make their communities better
And that's the key. This isn't about thumping our chests or being self-aggrandizing about the importance of our work. What I'm saying is we need more people around us working to make our communities better. When local journalism is left for dead, that objective suffers.
Local journalists hold elected officials accountable to ensure they're serving you and not themselves. Local journalists put themselves on the line to document history and show you what's happening around them. They provide you with the information you need to enrich your life.
Are local journalists the only people out there holding others accountable and documenting history? Of course not. But the point is they're doing it. They're paid to do it. It's their livelihood. And the more people we have making a living doing this important work, the better.
So please subscribe to your local newspaper. Whether it's @freep, @detroitnews, @mlive or anyone else. We're not perfect, and you won't agree with everything we say or do, but we do our jobs out of an earnest desire to improve our communities. And your support helps us do that.
(And not just local newspapers, but subscribe to any local news outlets you read and follow. It doesn't matter the medium. We need to support and show love to anyone working to help their fellow community members and loved ones.)
