2018! What a year it has been! And Current has been there with you every step of the way. As a reader, we know you stay informed about developments in public media, but can you guess what our top stories of the year were?
Our exclusive coverage of #MeToo and workplace climate concerns made the biggest splash this past year. From sexual harassment controversies at NPR to charges of bullying in newsrooms and other organizations, these Current scoops netted the most readers. Why? Because we all want to see public media live up to its values as an ethical employer.
Current’s reporters and editors worked hard to follow up on tips and uncover these stories, in some cases dedicating many months to get sources on the record or to verify facts through public information requests. This is journalism that matters. And in the coming year, you can count on Current to continue reporting on how (or whether) leaders in our system are making changes to create healthier places to work.
Speaking of changes, Current covered some very big changes in our industry: the transformational merger of programming powerhouses PRX and PRI; the collaboration between PBS and stations on “skinny bundles” for over-the-top streaming services; NPR’s new clock for Morning Edition; fundraising experiments through Alexa; and American Public Media’s broadcast distribution of the New York Times’ groundbreaking podcast The Daily. All top stories, but…
Not surprisingly, our most popular posts are always about people — not because we love gossip (although everybody does!). It’s because public media is a small world and a tight-knit community. Pubmedia employs less than 25,000 people. We are basically a small town where, as StoryCorps founder Dave Isay says, “Current is our local newspaper.”
Yes, public media is about people like you and me. Not just hosts, reporters and anchors, but also those behind the scenes producing and editing, fundraising and financing, educating, engineering and engaging.
We are all connected and interdependent. That’s why I’m turning to you today — person to person — to ask for your support for the service that we at Current provide to you, because we can’t do it without you.
As a nonprofit news organization, Current is included in an ambitious campaign called NewsMatch. Your donation today will be doubled by foundations that want to see Current become sustainable with reader investment, much in the way that PBS and NPR stations have with listener and viewer support. We have the potential to raise more than $50,000 by December 31. But we can only get there with your help.
Your tax-deductible donation will unlock this powerful 100 percent match. Your donation will send the message to foundations that Current is indeed important to public media. And your generous gift will tell Current staffers that their work makes a difference to you.
We are in this together. You can help make sure that Current is here to do our part to help public media thrive in 2019 and beyond.
Please donate today. Our NewsMatch campaign and our Public Media Honor Roll nominations are open until Dec. 31. Now’s your chance to nominate your mentors, colleagues and others you admire to the Public Media Honor Roll. It’s another way you can double the power of your gift to Current, by making it a way to thank someone in pubmedia who has made a difference.
Many thanks for responding to this personal appeal with a personal donation. Here’s to a successful end-of-year campaign for all of public media!