by Melanie Jongsma, Managing Editor
LANSING, Ill. (December 10, 2020) – We skipped Giving Tuesday last week. For us, it turned into Giving Newsday.
We were so busy working on the December print issue of The Lansing Journal, that we simply didn’t have time to set up a special Giving Tuesday email. Tuesday was the day that most of Lansing received a printed copy of The Lansing Journal on their doorstep—20 pages of news about local people, local businesses, local events, and COVID’s local impact.
If I had written a Giving Tuesday email, it would have asked you to help support that kind of local news.
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the work of doing the news, that I forget to step back and ask for help. I get buried in the details and the deadlines, and I lose sight of the big picture.
But last Tuesday—Giving Newsday—gave me a glimpse of the big picture again. I was overwhelmed by all the comments, all the texts, all the emails and photos from people who were so excited to hold that printed Lansing Journal in their hands.
That’s why we do what we do.
We know this newspaper builds community in Lansing. Our daily emails kept you connected all through quarantine, and our in-depth reporting kept you informed during a summer of thoughtful protests.
The printed December newspaper is just a sampling of the news that happened in Lansing this year. It’s just a taste of the work we do every day.
If you were one of the people who were so excited to find on their doorstep a newspaper devoted to Lansing, I am asking you to help support The Lansing Journal.
We build community—that’s our brand. All our articles are written by local people, and we welcome your comments and participation.
We do not charge you to read The Lansing Journal—in print or online—because we want to make sure all our neighbors have access to local, community-building information.
The Lansing Journal is free to read, but it is not free to produce. Ink and paper cost money. Designing and hosting our website costs money. Sending an email every morning costs money. And yes, quality journalism costs money. Like all other local media—and like many other local businesses in town—The Lansing Journal is struggling to survive and also to grow our coverage to serve you better. We need your help.
When times are tough, and local businesses can’t afford to advertise, it is members who make the difference. Your gifts help us pay the bills.
So it’s unfortunate that I was too busy on “Giving Newsday” to ask for a Giving Tuesday gift. Because we really need your help in order to keep giving news every day.
If you value the information we provide each day, if you appreciate having a reliable connection to the community around you, if you are proud that small-town Lansing, Illinois, has its own newspaper—please become a supporting member now. Please do not assume that your neighbors will continue to do the job for you.
Click here and choose whatever membership level is comfortable for you.
I guarantee you will feel better reading The Lansing Journal when you know you help make it possible.
Together we can make sure that every day is Giving Newsday.
