Kayla Green

Dec. 2 was Giving Tuesday. On a day dedicated to supporting the causes we believe in, we're asking you to make an investment in the heart of our community: truly local, independent news.

At Gulf Coast Media, our mission is to empower you with the information you need. Whether it's understanding how a new federal bill will impact our local waterways and aquatic life, learning how growth and new development is affecting everything from endangered animals to school zones, finding out which restaurants are opening and closing, curating weekly lists of upcoming events and things to do, or getting the facts on a city council measure, we are here to ensure you have the knowledge to make informed decisions, take action and feel connected to this place we all call home.

The way we give is changing. You can donate to a cause you believe in by simply clicking a few buttons, writing a check or making one phone call. If you believe in having local news available to your community, gifting a contribution to Gulf Coast Media is a direct way to make an impact. Through our partnership with Report for America, our fiscal sponsor as part of The GroundTruth Project Inc., your donation is tax-deductible.

You'd be right in thinking this isn't normal. We haven't done a fundraising drive before this partnership. But, because of new and compiling challenges presented in this digital, 21st-century world, the traditional ways local news is financed – print subscriptions and advertising – no longer are enough alone; Big Tech like Google and Facebook siphon 80% of digital revenue, according to the Local Media Association. Philanthropy and individual investment are one of the fastest growing and most direct ways for a community to support its local news organization and keep it affordable and easily accessible.

After receiving a letter on this topic before Thanksgiving, we've had a few subscribers ask us how dire of a situation we're in. Unlike national news and politics, local, independently owned news organizations like us keep it real, on the neighborhood level. We were able to expand our newsroom this summer by being a Report for America host newsroom. That hire was Gabriella Chavez, through whose reporting you've read about new discoveries of ancient fossils in the Gulf, the status of local and federal environmental legislation, pollution and potential solutions in Mobile River and Bay, and industrial growth.

Her being part of our newsroom has allowed our other reporters to not be spread too thin, allowing them to focus on their own beats. Ruth Mayo spent extensive time covering the run-up to the municipal elections, going through hundreds of documents to examine candidates' records, promises and campaign spending habits. Colin James drives all over the county to highlight new and classic restaurants while also documenting Fairhope's council decisions. He has spent dozens of hours watching state library board meetings to report clear summaries.

When a newsroom is properly staffed (Don't get me wrong, in my dreams we have 20 reporters covering Baldwin County. But hey, the more funding we have, the more we can invest it in our staff. Hint. Hint!), everyone can focus on their "main" job. For Whisper Edwards, that means she can focus on curating events lists, being my second set of editing eyes and managing Best of Baldwin.

One of our big editorial strategies is a focus on visual storytelling. More than 80% of staff photographer positions have disappeared since 2005, according to the State of Local News report by Northwestern University. We are not among those newspapers. Micah Green works with Gabriella often on stories to complement her in-depth reporting with photography and social media that adds immediate, easy-to-understand visual connection.

So, because of this added position in Gabriella as a Report for America corps member, not just her, but everyone has been able to bring you – the ones who matter the most, our readers – focused, fair, fact-checked reporting, information and community storytelling.

Back to the dire situation question. Report for America matches Gulf Coast Media's share of our corps member's salary for the first year and diminishes over the next two of her contract. This is why we need community support. The State of News report does not paint a pretty picture of the industry. More than 40% of all local U.S. newspapers have vanished. Yet, it seems we're in an information overload. Social media and national/cable TV news have filled the vacuum left from those closures, but it remains that local news, divorced from D.C. politics and the dramatics of 24-hour on-air programming, provides context, verification and accountability reporting that builds a strong community and supports fair decisions.

This idea of philanthropic support for a newspaper is new to Gulf Coast Media, but it is an encouraging trend across the country. The 10,000 largest news grants total more than $1.1 billion. On the Gulf Coast, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | NOLA.com has raised more than $2 million in philanthropy since 2020, which allowed it to grow the number of reporting positions funded by community support from four in 2020 to 24 in 2023. (Maybe my dream isn't fantasy after all?)

We've set a goal to raise $50,000 before the end of 2025 to ensure our newsroom – at this initially expanded level – remains sustainable and out of crisis. Your donation is tax-deductible, and all of it will be spent supporting our corps member and newsroom; Report for America does not take a fee.

Local news is a public good that benefits everyone. It helps neighbors look out for each other, surfaces solutions and even keeps people safer by knowing what's happening around them. Your support is what keeps our reporters in city hall, at community meetings and on the ground where it matters. Thank you for considering a gift to Gulf Coast Media.

YES, I SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS