By NANCY WEST, founder and executive editor of InDepthNH.org
These are the days of a new reality like none we have ever seen in New Hampshire, the nation or the world. InDepthNH.org is uniquely positioned to focus our reporting on how COVID-19 will impact your life because we are a nonprofit online news outlet that is free to all.
We have no paywall and our online newsletter is free. Sign up here. shorturl.at/tWX09. We now send the newsletter daily instead of weekly to meet the COVID-19 need to know demand.
And please buy a subscription to your local newspaper as well, many of which already publish InDepthNH.org stories. We all need your help.
This morning Gov. Chris Sununu told members of the Executive Council that the worst is yet to come, that he expects the surge of positive cases in New Hampshire could be sometime in late April or May and there is no way to predict exactly when or what we will all face.
Two days ago, he sadly announced the first death due to COVID-19. He and our elected and appointed officials along with our dedicated state employees and teachers not to mention everyone in the healthcare profession are working tirelessly as is the media to help you get what you need.
We at InDepthNH.org are doing our best to report the information you need during this pandemic to keep you and your family safe as we walk through this together.
We need everyone’s help as we give it our all as well.
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, philanthropists everywhere and the United Way are taking unparalleled steps to put funds where they are needed as fast as possible and we believe getting trusted information to the public is one of those needs deserving of support.
We believe that nonprofit news outlets with no paywalls would be the best use of any funds directed to the media. And we are grateful for the newspapers that are lifting paywalls for COVID-19 reporting.
We are asking all of the generous philanthropists and organizations to reach out and help InDepthNH.org continue the work we have already begun in covering COVID-19 and all of the important issues that we take on to fill the gaps in news coverage.
Unfortunately, this health crisis comes at a time when the news media is facing its own crisis with 60 percent fewer newspaper jobs in the state than there were 20 years ago.
Just today the Valley News announced changes because of COVID-19 that include layoffs and a reduction of hours for some employees with managers taking an across-the-board pay cut.
Even more than philanthropists and businesses, we need you – our readers now more than ever. Just this week a handful of you have signed on as monthly donors, promising $5, 10 and more a month to help us grow coverage that will surely be needed and we will share that coverage with newspapers around the state.
You can donate here: https://indepthnh.org/donate/ or by sending a tax-deductible donation to the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism at 38 Edgewater Drive, Barrington, NH 03825 or call me at 603-738-5635. Please give what you can. We are totally transparent about what we need and how we spend your money. It will go to reporting and editing and, not to administration. We need to get the important information out to you.
We have been members of the Institute for Nonprofit News for four years and I serve on its board of directors. We are 240 members strong and are working on how to best do our jobs in this new reality.
Our unbiased news at InDepthNH.org is reported by some of the most experienced reporters in the state including Garry Rayno, Paula Tracy and myself and the best column writers and podcasters such as Susan Dromey Heeter, Bob Charest, Wayne King, Michael Davidow and George Liset.
Please, please make InDepthNH.org your go-to source for all trusted news in New Hampshire and let us know how you are faring today and in the days ahead. We love working for you New Hampshire. Be safe. Nancy West