This moment is like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Yet through all the anxiety and fear we are feeling, we’re seeing bravery, kindness, compassion and innovation in abundance. From the courageous work of the health care workers and first responders to the innovation and urgency from business leaders retooling to lend a hand producing needed personal protective equipment, Mainers are there for each other.
At the Press Herald, we’re here to tell all of these incredible stories. We’ve got you covered with the latest data on active cases and outbreaks, and we probe deeper to make sure you’re informed and protected.
We’ve heard from many of you and we appreciate the thanks and encouragement we’ve received during this challenging time. But as we keep reporting the news in the face of a dramatic loss of advertising revenue, we need to ask for more.
If you believe our journalism is a service worth preserving, we need your support. There are three ways you can help:
• Buy a subscription.
• If you already subscribe, buy a subscription as a gift for someone else who appreciates the role that independent journalism plays in keeping our community informed.
• Make a donation. Through our membership in the Local Media Association, we are now able to accept donations through its 501(c)(3) Foundation. The donation is tax deductible and will be used to support our 300 plus employees and our relentless pursuit of the truth.
(To buy a subscription or make a donation, visit pressherald.com/support.)
You know our work — whether it’s holding government accountable to provide the public the access it deserves, giving you exclusive behind-the-scenes reporting from Maine Med as it prepared for the onslaught of the virus or reporting on how protective gear wasn’t distributed to states as the federal government claimed. Our reporters don’t stop until the truth is uncovered.
Every company leader praises their team, but honestly, our team is remarkable. Indefatigable. I’m at a loss for words to accurately describe the commitment felt by every member of our staff as we continue to publish our newspapers and websites. Every employee understands how vital it is to serve our readers with the latest news impacting our health, our economy and our communities. In addition to the investigative efforts and coverage of breaking news, we also bring you stories of hope and compassion. Please read the work from our sports reporters, who aren’t covering games but instead reporting inspiring stories in our “Maine Acts of Kindness” and “Virus Diaries” features. Our nimble events team quickly moved our in-person events online, and we’re happy to bring people together albeit virtually.
While most of us are working from home, we are deeply appreciative of our colleagues who are out in the field including reporters and photographers, our colleagues in the pressroom and production facility, our finance team in the office processing payments, and our circulation team running our delivery logistics.
Our hearts ache for many of our loyal advertisers whose businesses are dark. We look forward to the day when they return, and we’ll be there to mobilize our readership to support all of them. We pledge to eat, drink, stay, shop and get badly needed haircuts as soon as it’s safe to do so.
We’ve been uplifted by the thanks we’ve received from so many of you. Appreciation of our work been has validated through the growth in readership, specifically through digital subscriptions which are up 78 percent from this same time last year. To our home delivery customers, we pledge to continue to bring your newspaper following our stringent safety protocols.
We’ve been touched by messages from subscribers and social media posts from supporters of journalism including Dylan Martin, who lives in South Portland.
Last week he tweeted, “I am giving away a one-year subscription to (the Portland Press Herald). All you need to do is retweet this, and I will choose one person randomly. I hope other people of means will consider doing this for their local newspaper.”
We welcome @SwedishCar850, the winner of Dylan’s contest and our newest subscriber.
Together we mourn those who have died from this virus. Maine has endured wars, depression and now a pandemic. For the past 158 years, the Press Herald has been there to cover it all.
With your support, we’ll continue to be there for you and for Maine.
— Lisa DeSisto
Send questions/comments to the editors.
