As publisher Lisa Aciukewicz wrote in last month’s Publishers Corner, it’s been a tough year for local newspapers.
The new tariff on newsprint that our local printer pays Canada has meant steeper printing costs. While the newspaper depends heavily on advertising dollars to meet our operating expenses, it gets harder and harder to attract and retain print advertisers when the entire world seems to be chasing clicks.
Although we operate as a for-profit paper, the economics of local news mean we increasingly depend on community support to survive. Your subscriptions help our operating budget tremendously—especially our sustaining subscribers, who are truly our heroes—but the reality of local news is that subscriptions alone cannot support us.
That’s where the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts comes in. Because we provide essential educational and civic services, the foundation has recognized our value to Harvard’s community health and agreed to host our new Harvard Press Fund for Local Journalism. Please consider a donation in your plans for year-end giving.
Your contribution supports:
- Long-term financial stability that keeps the Press on solid ground.
- Recruiting and training the next generation of community journalists and editors.
- Transparent coverage of local government, including town meetings, municipal decisions, and civic issues.
- Deeper reporting on forward-focused issues like climate impacts on local farms, the real costs of maintaining our excellent schools, and 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.
This work matters and it depends on you. If you’re already a sustaining subscriber, thank you—your subscription keeps our daily operations running. Please continue your support; every dollar goes directly toward operating expenses.
The Harvard Press Fund for Local Journalism offers another way to invest in our future. You can make a substantial gift, donate through a donor-advised fund, or even include the Harvard Press in your estate plans—all with tax benefits.
To donate, visit cfncm.org and click “Donate,” or scan the QR code.