information provided by New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger
NEW YORK, NY (May 1, 2020) – As a member of LION Publishers, The Lansing Journal is included in a World Press Freedom Day campaign organized by the New York Times and described in the following email from A.G. Sulzberger to member organizations:
Dear Publishers,
I wanted to reach out to you to say how much we appreciate the important, difficult work you’re doing right now. My colleagues and I stand with you in your commitment to providing information that is critical to the safety, security, and knowledge of our communities. As the coronavirus pandemic presents unprecedented reporting challenges and growing financial pressures, it’s also underscored the value of great journalism.
We want to share the news, under embargo until Friday May 1 at 12pm EST, that in observance of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day on May 3 — a day dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of an independent press — The New York Times will launch a campaign encouraging readers to find a local news organization they trust, and to support it through a subscription or donation.
Like many of my colleagues at The Times, I spent years working in local news. We know firsthand the essential role original, quality news organizations play in communities across the nation. And we’ve been distressed to watch as the pressure on local news continues to rise through the pandemic, leading to an estimated 36,000 journalists being laid off or furloughed in a matter of months. We hope we can help by raising awareness of the importance of supporting local news organizations.
Our campaign will direct readers to a database of local news organizations generated from the member lists of The Institute for Nonprofit News, Local Independent Online News Publishers, and the News Media Alliance. A publisher is eligible to appear in this database if it provides general interest news coverage for a community, city, state, or localized region. The database will be searchable by organization name and location, and will surface links homepages and subscription or donation pages. The campaign will begin running on May 1, 2020. The New York Times ad creative will appear online and in print on Sunday, May 3.
…Thanks for all you do.
A.G. Sulzberger
Publisher
The New York Times
As Managing Editor of The Lansing Journal, let me add my thanks for the support and encouragement we receive from our community of readers and advertisers. We always welcome additional contributors—because we believe a community newspaper is healthiest when it is supported by a broad range of readership, each giving a little. Throughout the pandemic and all its local impacts, we remain committed to serving our community with balanced, professional, local news. Thank you for joining us.
–Melanie Jongsma
Thank YOU, Melanie, for keeping us posted – when sometimes we’re not all that sure what to believe. We all appreciate your continued hard work and the daily news. Thanks again!!!!