Today’s issue marks the 100th to roll off the presses and land on your doorstep. We call this effort a labor of love, the product of thousands of hours of hard work by volunteers and our experienced journalists and editors. But perhaps it is more accurate to call what we do a natural outgrowth of the love you, our readers, have for this remarkable community. After all, without you, there would be no Marblehead Current.
As we enter our third year of operation, we are reflecting on our mission, our execution, your needs and — most importantly — the future.
First, our original mission remains unchanged.
The community leaders and journalists who decided to take action when the Reporter ceased to be a true local news outlet promised “to provide every Marblehead household with objective and balanced Marblehead news, online and in print, overseen by respected, ethical journalists through a sustainable nonprofit model that values community over profit and seeks to promote positive and informed engagement in the Marblehead community.” Two full years in, and we wouldn’t change a word.
But the “job” of journalism has evolved.
Members of Team Current recently gathered at Boston University with dozens of other New England newsrooms, most nonprofit like ours, to share our experiences and learn from each other and experts in the field.
A presentation by Tom Rosenstiel, journalist, author and former head of the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, was provocative and, to us, reassuring. Rosenstiel posed the question he said we should always be asking ourselves, “What job are we doing for our consumers?” He referenced 13 different “jobs” journalism should do for its audiences. We’ll summarize the jobs he outlined here:
- “Discover where we live” stories
- “Discover our world” stories
- “Connect with others” stories
- “Spending time well” stories
- “Make lifestyle decisions” stories
- “Explain and understand more deeply” stories
- “What can be done” stories
- “Keep safe and secure” stories
- “Equip people to become involved in civic life” stories
- “Incremental civic, government or business update” stories
- “Game frame” (or winners/losers) stories
- “Watchdog barking” stories
- Provide a forum for public discussion
Over and over, we’re humbled to note, you have told us formally and informally that “we wouldn’t know what was happening” if it weren’t for the Current. We are always striving to better deliver on all of these jobs, and we are steadfast in our commitment to keep you informed with experienced, objective journalism.
We want to know what you think about the job we are doing.
Be on the lookout soon for a survey we will be circulating asking for your feedback about the job we are doing, what you want more of, what you want less of, and everything in between.
Our interns — the next generation of journalists
The Marblehead Current‘s internship program offers high school and college students a fully immersive experience in local journalism, under the mentorship of Community Editor Will Dowd with support from Editor Leigh Blander. The interns are deeply involved in covering a range of topics, attending public meetings and contributing to both the print and digital aspects of our publication.
The Current has trained two college interns over the last two summers, along with three high school students interested in careers in journalism. We feel a responsibility to invite the next generation of prospective reporters into our newsroom and show them the impact local, nonprofit news can have in a community. We work with them on identifying stories, writing, editing and shooting photographs.
Collectively, our interns have written more than 60 articles, covering everything from local government and civic events to cultural festivals and personal reflections. Their work has added richness to our coverage, bringing fresh perspectives to the Marblehead Current and connecting us more deeply with the community. We are very proud of their dedication, growth and the positive impact they have had on both our publication and the town.
The nonprofit model
By now, you probably know the statistics as well as we do. Since 2005, some 3,200 newspapers have closed across the United States, most of them weeklies like ours, and the profession has lost two-thirds of its journalists. Today, an average of 2.5 newspapers are closing per week, and more than one-half of U.S. counties have no or little access to local news.
The old model of subscription-and-advertising-based financing of local journalism has failed, and in its place a nationwide effort to build a better, more sustainable philanthropic financing model has begun to flourish.
All of the revenues raised by the Current through individual donations, foundation grants and advertising are reinvested in reporting, producing, printing and delivering for free the weekly paper, while maintaining an always-on digital presence to bring you breaking news as it happens. Our board and fundraising committee are all volunteer and Marblehead-based, and not a day goes by that we don’t pay heed to the enormous trust you have placed in us to do this job well.
This is not a fundraising pitch. We know you get plenty of those from us, and we are deeply grateful for your support. But sustaining this effort for 100 more issues and, we hope, for the next 100 years, means making this nonprofit financial model work.
Our annual budget is $372,000. We pour over the expense side of the ledger and are confident it is as barebones as it can be. Every dime of that $372,000, which breaks down to an average of $36,000 a month, has to be raised from donations, ads and grants — every single month. Or we go out of business. It’s that simple.
We deeply believe that having the Marblehead Current is a good thing for this community. You have told us — with your kind comments, your thoughtful letters to the editor, your civilly-stated support or disagreement on social media — that you agree.
Famed communication theorist and media critic James Carey once wrote, “Republics require conversation, often cacophonous conversation, for they should be noisy places” and noted the role of journalism in informing those conversations.
Thank you for letting us inform the conversation here in Marblehead for the past 100 issues. Thank you for engaging with us on our letters page and online comments. Thank you for your feedback, your news tips, your criticism.
May the conversation about this special place we all call home never cease.
