Publisher's Corner: Harvard’s heartbeat is back, and we need you to keep it strong

Picture Harvard 20 years ago: The General Store sat empty, its windows dark. Our local paper had been swallowed by a distant conglomerate that could not care less about Select Board meetings or high school sports. The post office had left town center. Even our library was in transition.
The Common felt abandoned, and frankly, so did we.

Then something remarkable happened.

In November 2006, a group of fed up residents said, “Enough.” We launched the Harvard Press because we refused to let our community’s voice disappear into corporate silence. We believed Harvard deserved better than generic, cookie-cutter news.

We were right. Almost overnight, the Press became the paper that mattered. Neighbors started talking again. Town meetings buzzed with informed discussion. We rekindled something precious: a shared sense of what makes Harvard, well, Harvard.

The proof? In 2022, we earned the prestigious General Excellence in News award from the New England News and Press Association, beating out papers with far more resources. Since then, we have earned multiple NENPA awards, but more importantly, we have earned something far more valuable: your trust.

Reality check: Here is the reality check. While your subscriptions help tremendously (and to our sustaining subscribers, you truly are our heroes), we still rely heavily on advertising revenue. That is normal in publishing; most papers depend on ads for 60% to 80% of their budget. What is not normal is trying to sell ads in an era when businesses are chasing online clicks instead of local readers.

Last year, our accountant delivered sobering news. We are running on financial fumes, scrutinizing every expense while still delivering the news, features, columns, and sports coverage you depend on each week. Despite our best efforts, true sustainability has remained just out of reach.

Until now. In partnership with the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, we have established The Harvard Press Fund for Local Journalism. Donations to this fund are now tax deductible.

We remain a for-profit paper (at least in theory!), but because we provide essential educational and civic services, CFNCM recognizes our value to Harvard’s community health. When you contribute to the CFNCM Harvard Press Fund for Local Journalism, you are investing in:

• Long-term financial stability that finally puts us on solid ground.
• Recruiting and training the next generation of community journalists and editors as our current staff retires. This includes hiring professional mentors, paying honoraria to guest speakers, and supporting training and conference attendance.
• Transparent coverage of local government, including town meetings, municipal decisions, and civic issues, with explanatory journalism that helps residents understand local processes and participate meaningfully in democracy.
• Deeper reporting on the issues shaping our future, including climate impacts on local farms, the real costs of maintaining our excellent schools, the need for affordable housing, and the diverse stories of the people who make Harvard home.
• Investigative reporting on complex topics such as economic and residential expansion in Devens and what it means for our town and our schools.

The bottom line: Harvard residents are extraordinary. You show up to town meetings. You care about your schools, your neighbors, and your community’s future. You want to know what is happening because you understand that informed citizens make better decisions.

Now we are asking you to make one more informed decision: Give generously to secure local news for the future.

If you are a sustaining subscriber, thank you. You have kept the Press alive. Please continue your support; it goes directly toward our operating expenses.

If you want to make a more substantial gift or donate through a donor-advised fund, the Harvard Press Fund for Local Journalism allows you to do so with a tax benefit. You can even include The Harvard Press in your estate plans, ensuring that local journalism thrives long into the future. To donate, go to the foundation’s website and click on “Donate.”

This is not just about saving a newspaper. It is about preserving the heartbeat of our community, the vital pulse that keeps Harvard connected, informed, and strong.

The Press brought Harvard’s voice back once. With your help, we will make sure it is never silenced again.

Lisa Aciukewicz and Sue Robbins are co-owners and publishers of the Press.