In March, the award-winning HuffPost announced that 47 journalists were being laid off, effective immediately. Then in April, New York Public Radio announced that it was laying off 14 staffers, including the editor-in-chief of WNYC’s groundbreaking Gothamist website.
One-third of newspapers in the U.S. saw newsroom layoffs in 2020, and 70 newsrooms shut down entirely during the coronavirus pandemic.
These numbingly familiar headlines are just the most recent gut punches to journalism, and there are signs now that the crisis is actually getting worse in 2021. With the daily spectacle of the Donald Trump presidency no longer driving ratings and subscriptions, news outlets all over the country are reporting further declines in revenue, which will inevitably lead to more layoffs in the future.
It is in this challenging environment that The Intercept is launching our mid-year membership fundraising campaign.
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These catastrophic job losses aren’t just a problem for those who make a living in our industry. They’re a disaster for democracy.
Every time a journalist is taken off the beat, it becomes a little easier for politicians and corporations to get away with lying to voters and enriching themselves at the public expense.
Just think: How many corporate scandals or corrupt politicians have gotten away scot-free over the last decade because no reporter was on the beat? It’s terrifying to ponder.
The Intercept was fortunate to launch with major support from an individual donor who believes in our mission and has honored his pledge not to interfere in editorial decisions. But we never intended to be entirely dependent on any single funder.
To sustain and grow our work into the future — without putting ads on our website or setting up a paywall — we must increase and diversify our funding. That’s why we’re asking our readers to help support The Intercept with whatever you can afford and meet our goal of raising $400,000 by June 30.
