HOT PURSUIT
The other day a woman shared with me that she loves the Steele County Times and the local journalism that we provide in the newspaper every week.
Upon questioning her further, I learned that she sets the paper on her kitchen counter once it arrives on Thursday and reads it throughout the week. You might be curious why she says, “throughout the week.” It because she says there are so many great stories in the newspaper that she can’t possibly read it all in one sitting.
“There’s too much to read at one time,” the avid reader said.
So, she stretches it out over the week and reads little by little in order for her to digest all the information provided in our news coverage.
Just as it is with this woman, Steele County is where our heart is as well. We want to keep that heart beating strong and even stronger than ever before.
This woman is not alone. I’ve heard this compliment many times in recent years as people share their passion for local journalism with me. For me, it’s heartwarming to hear such positive feedback about our newspaper.
We have been for years and continue to build a connection with the greater community of Steele County. It’s stories like this that tell me local news is important for readers. It’s by no accident that our newspaper has grown by 60% over the past five years.
Readers want their local news. And the Times is a great resource to satisfy that need.
Every week, we show up to cover the stories that don’t make it most anywhere else—the school board decisions, the city public hearings about building public safety centers, the county fair champions and the volunteers who make a quiet difference. (Boy, do we have a treat coming for you next week as you won’t want to miss our special section.)
What many people often fail to realize is that providing local news comes at a big expense. We have a small, but dedicated staff committed to covering the communities of Blooming Prairie, Ellendale, Medford and Owatonna as well as other surrounding cities.
Like other newspapers around the country, we are constantly trying to find ways to fulfill the need for local journalism and how to, quite simply, pay for it. It’s not easy in a digital world where so much misinformation is spewed out over social media.
Beginning last November, we began a special program, Report Local, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to strengthening local journalism. Philanthropy is quickly becoming an important source of funding for newspapers across America.
While we appreciate your support through subscriptions, we also need extra support to keep doing what you tell us you love so much. Individuals, businesses and organizations can now make nonprofit donations to our newspaper and receive the full tax deduction allowed by U.S. law.
Every dollar will support our local reporters and keep them equipped to cover the stories that matter here at home. None of it goes to overhead or profit.
Supporting the Steele County Times means keeping our community informed, connected, and proud. When you invest in local news, you invest in Steele County’s future.
If you believe in this vision too, I hope you’ll consider helping us continue it. You can donate at www.steelecountytimes.com or scan the QR code on the bottom of page 3A.
We want nothing more than to keep readers like the woman I shared about at the start of this column happy and passionate about local journalism.
Together, we can go in hot pursuit to protect the future of local news.