When the Peekskill Herald was launched five years ago, I set out to tell the stories of this city and its people. I believed that Peekskill could be stronger if its citizens were informed. In our five years of reporting, we’ve written 2,661 stories and have created a community, one story at a time.
Over the years, we’ve grown from a one-person operation to a small but passionate team that has found creative ways to fulfill our mission – WITHOUT resorting to paywalls. We have been sustained by readers, grants, and business sponsorships. But as we’ve responded to requests to expand our coverage and as the ONLY local source of news in our community, our costs have risen too, yet our donations haven’t matched our growth.
On average, 36,000 people read Peekskill Herald every month, yet we receive donations from only 302 individuals. The vast discrepancy in those numbers tell us we must be frank about our sustainability.
Readers tell us all the time that they count on us for credible reporting: to explain developer payments in lieu of taxes; to tell the story of senior citizens who felt they were being held hostage in their apartment building; to discover how their high schoolers are doing in sports, the arts, and other clubs; to be the go-to source for what to do on the weekend through our Peekskill Exurbanist Instagram page and our calendar featuring local concerts and art exhibitions.
We’ve built a stronger, more connected community through trust, storytelling and relationships where people are informed, engaged, and invested in the place we all call home.
Please make a donation today and help us continue telling the stories that matter most to Peekskill.
