Support the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: New fundraising campaign aims to preserve local news coverage | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday announced a public fundraising effort to bolster its newsroom operations.

The inaugural campaign aims to raise $100,000 in 100 days, said Staci Miller, director of development for what is being called the newspaper’s Community Journalism Project.

All contributions to the project will be administered by the Arkansas Community Foundation.

Donations to the Community Journalism Project are treated for tax purposes as gifts to a Section 501(c)(3) public charity and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, according to the news release.

“With support from the community and readers, this new venture will help the Democrat-Gazette newsroom sustain its current level of coverage and provide opportunities for enhanced reporting,” according to a news release announcing the project.

“We are grateful to those who realize the value of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and its impact on the civic health of our state,” said Eliza Hussman Gaines, publisher. “Many readers have asked how they can support our mission beyond a subscription. With donations, they have the opportunity to make an even larger investment in preserving and expanding local journalism in Arkansas.”

The Democrat-Gazette is the state’s largest newspaper and one of the last statewide newspapers in America. It is owned by the family of Walter E. Hussman Jr. and relies primarily on consumer-based revenue from subscriptions, supplemented by advertising revenue. Gaines is Hussman’s daughter and a fourth-generation Arkansan.

“Despite economic challenges, the Democrat-Gazette owners have maintained a robust newsroom that provides a broad range of coverage, including of local, state, national and international events; business and financial news; sports; and lighter topics such as food, arts and entertainment,” according to the news release.

However, Mark Lane, president of WEHCO Media, Inc.’s newspaper division, said the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has lost money each year since 2018 except for one.

“As we discuss our financials, we are really not on a solid foundation yet,” said Lane. “We’ve got a few things that have helped us this year, for example our subscription rate increase [from $34 to $39 per month for digital replica access] … but that won’t benefit us in years to come. So, really what we’re trying to do is build a solid footing and solid foundation for the future — really a business that’s sustainable. Our current trend and business model is not sustainable. We do need this third revenue stream. We’re just trying to make solid decisions for the future of the business.”

Lane said they’ve been studying the fundraising model for about two years.

The Hussman family has made sizable donations to the Democrat-Gazette’s news operation for many years, said Lane.

“We just feel like it’s time to give Arkansans an opportunity to invest in their newspaper,” he said.

Donations to the Community Journalism Project will help cover costs related to newsroom staff, salaries and travel expenses to send reporters and photographers around the state, according to the PowerPoint. These funds will also give the newsroom access to additional tools, technology and continuing education to help deliver enhanced news coverage to Arkansas communities.

“With additional fundraising, the newsroom can increase in-depth investigative reporting on urgent and critical issues facing Arkansas,” according to the presentation.

Donor financial support can help expand coverage of central Arkansas communities and strengthen local reporting on education, military, health care and poverty, according to the PowerPoint.

Donations will be used exclusively to support newsroom operations and potentially to fund new journalism ventures, according to the news release. They won’t be used for fundraising expenses, the production of wire or opinion content, subscription marketing, or purchases not tied directly to local journalism.

“Philanthropy is not new to journalism,” said Alyson Hoge, the newspaper's managing editor. “Media outlets across the country and in Arkansas have done this for years. Philanthropy has enabled trained journalists to continue their work.”

Miller, who was previously the Democrat-Gazette’s creative services director, traveled to Charleston, S.C., to see how things were done at The Post and Courier. It’s a family-owned newspaper that began seeking donations in 2020. With its second campaign — to raise $100,000 in 100 days — The Post and Courier raised almost $500,000, said Miller.

“I believe that was kind of their lightning in a bottle,” she said. “I don’t think they’ve had the same momentum for that, but they have been able to meet every goal that they’ve set after that.”

Subsequent goals weren’t as lofty, said Miller.

“They’ve done smaller bites,” she said, but it’s all added up to $2.6 million since 2020.

Miller said The Seattle Times has been seeking donations since 2013.

“They’ve raised more than $10 million from community donations,” she said.

But Little Rock is more comparable in size to Charleston, said Miller.

As part of her new job as development director, Miller said she'll also be looking for grants for the Democrat-Gazette.

Miller said the news staff will operate independently of donors and will maintain full control over content. Donors won’t have access to stories before they’re published.

She said the names of donors will be published in the paper, unless the donor requests anonymity.

“We’re telling people an investment in this community journalism fund is an investment in transparency,” said Miller. “It’s an investment in accountability. And that’s true because that’s what the Democrat-Gazette does. We’re kind of a beacon of truth. But I also feel like we’re growing community awareness about sustainable journalism and helping people see journalism more as an institution that we have to protect and preserve. Good quality community journalism is going to be the key to any thriving community. An informed citizen becomes an active citizen, someone who’s going to be involved, vote and take part and pride in their community. And where do they get their information? Their newspaper.”

Miller said the key word she’s trying to stress is sustainability.

“This is very much about sustainability because it is a very uncertain industry,” she said.

For now, the fundraising effort is only for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said Miller. But it could be extended to other WEHCO newspapers in the future.

Based in Little Rock, WEHCO has 11 daily newspapers, including the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee and the News Tribune in Jefferson City, Mo. WEHCO also has eight weekly newspapers in addition to magazines, cable television operations, broadband services and other businesses.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has an extensive digital reach with an average of more than 1.2 million unique users per month across mobile, desktop, tablet and smart TV platforms, according to a PowerPoint presentation prepared for the newsroom staff for the announcement of the fundraising effort on Tuesday.

“The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette prides itself on unbiased coverage,” with a clear separation of news and opinion, according to the presentation.

“In the current climate of the news industry, the pool of experienced journalists is smaller than ever and the demand is great for those who have decided to stay in the business,” according to the presentation. “For-profit newspapers that survive by keeping a close eye on expenditures find themselves losing candidates to non-profit news organizations that offer higher salaries and more expensive benefits. Worse, some experienced journalists get out of the business because they worry about the sustainability of news organizations.

“A donation to the Community Journalism Project helps the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette retain and recruit the journalists who will produce stories that make a difference. Among these are stories on wrongdoing by public officials; the impact of policy decisions on the people affected; and how Arkansas compares with other states in matters such as health, taxation and the environment.”

Miller said a letter will be sent to subscribers about the Community Journalism Project, and a letter from Gaines and Hoge will be published in the paper on Wednesday.

Donations can be made at arcommunitynews.org.

For more information, contact Miller at smiller@arkansasonline.com.

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