In September, we were honored to be accepted into the prestigious Colorado Media Project, a coalition of local news producers and nonprofit content creators dedicated to providing consumers with that critical news they need. 

By Regan Foster
The Today faculty advisor

Hello, dear Today readers. 

It’s hard to believe another semester, another year, has come and gone. It feels as though we blinked and seven hard copies – and thousands of words – of papers have made it out the door. 

In the course of our semester, we covered the November election (before, during and after Nov. 2), attended candidate forums and government meetings, covered intense breaking news more often than I would ever have dared imagine, cheered our Pack athletes through triumphs and tragedies, and even took in the iconic State Fair duck and pig races. (For the record, piggies can be persuaded to run around a short track for chocolate sandwich cookies – something with which I personally can relate.)

In November we hosted an event to pardon a turkey. (Thanks, President Mottet!)

We did all this because it is the media’s job. There is a coveted role that news outlets play in a community, which is the task of serving as its watchdog. 

We know, and copious amounts of research has shown, that communities that have a reliable, regular source of in-depth news and analysis are fiscally, culturally and governmentally healthier than those that, well, don’t. Simply put, democracy depends on local news.

If people don’t have that reliable source of local news, fewer candidates make bids for local office, political polarization increases, government is held less accountable and, in turn, local economy can decline. 

So that’s why we do what we do. It’s all for you. 

And on behalf of the Today team, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your support these past several weeks. Whether you’ve picked up the paper and read our work, found our pieces online, shared our stories through social media, contacted us with story ideas or just dropped us a note encouraging our student staff to keep up the great work, you have given us the fuel to keep on track. 

On CSU Pueblo Give Day, you exceeded our expectations — and personal goals — by donating more than $3,000 to help us keep the presses running. 

Now we’re asking for one more show of support. In September, we were honored to be accepted into the prestigious Colorado Media Project, a coalition of local news producers and nonprofit content creators dedicated to providing consumers with that critical news they need. 

In addition to the incredible honor of being accepted as a fully credentialed newsroom, we were accepted into the #newsCOneeds cohort. This is a fundraiser that could be a game-changer for The Today, as the first $5,000 in small-dollar donations would be matched by CMP and its underwriters. 

That would not only cover our printing costs for the year, but our staffing expenses as well. That means any underwriting, grant or other revenues would be dedicated to things like conventions, seminars, equipment upgrades and other educational enhancements. 

Like I said, a game changer. 

To learn more about the #newsCOneeds grant, or to make a tax-deductible donation to The Today, visit www.thisisnewsconeeds.com.