The Herald-Leader brings you the journalism that matters. Will you help us in this work? | Opinion

I was a young reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer in September 1991, just as that news organization was celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Acknowledging the milestone, our publisher at the time, Cincinnati-born William Keating, penned a column in a special sesquicentennial edition. He wrote of a “love story” between the newspaper and the city it served.

“The relationship is like a good marriage,” Mr. Keating wrote. “The newspaper and its city have supported each other, quarreled, struggled together, grown together and prospered together.”

It was, he said, a perfect union.

No great city can truly thrive without an equally successful flagship newspaper in the market, he wrote.

And an independent, community-minded newspaper that failed to provide unbiased journalism and leadership — keeping public officials honest, questioning when necessary, rallying in times of trouble and celebrating in joyous moments — will stumble, fall and fail.

I never forgot Mr. Keating’s words.

And I am inspired to share them with you as the Herald-Leader reaches out this holiday season and asks this question: Will you consider a tax-deductible gift to our nonprofit journalism trust fund so we can expand our coverage, add to our newsroom team and be even more essential in the daily heartbeat of our commonwealth?

Since my arrival as executive editor of Kentucky.com and the Herald-Leader 15 months ago, I’ve been transparent about the tsunami of changes and challenges that have buffeted our industry.

Hundreds of newsrooms around the country have closed because critical advertising dollars have shifted from hometown news columns to Big Tech. Virtually all of those once-numerous, close-to-home ads are now found exclusively on Facebook or Google searches, and that’s affected the bottom line of every news organization in the country.

Including ours.

The seismic shift from ink-on-paper to smart phones and tablets has transformed how we pursue and publish the news. We now cover news literally as it happens and make it available to readers on a vastly accessible swath of the digital universe — from Kentucky.com to every social media outlet that you tap into daily.

But as the news industry has transformed, the painful economic reality is our staff is smaller today than it was a few years ago.

There are key areas of coverage — from regional economic and business news, to deeper political coverage in Frankfort and more investigative reporting statewide — that’s needed for us to fulfill that “perfect union” vision that my former publisher wrote about nearly 35 years ago.

That’s why I’m writing today to seek your financial help, beyond your subscription to our print edition or to kentucky.com.

In this holiday season, I humbly ask you to consider a tax-deductible financial gift to expand our staff and our ability to provide more comprehensive coverage not only in Lexington, but across Kentucky.

You can donate through kentucky.com/donate. Or, if you prefer to send a check, please put LEXINGTON in the memo line and mail it to 1601 Alhambra Blvd., Suite 100, Sacramento, California, 95816. Please include your email address.

Trust me, your gift will strengthen our newsroom and allow us to tell even more of the stories that make a difference in our commonwealth.

We have worked hard to pursue and publish the award-winning, hard-hitting stories you’ve come to expect from the Herald-Leader. It’s what we’ve done since our 1870 founding.

Throughout this year, we’ve spotlighted exclusively the ethical lapses of a state legislator who is accused of sexually harassing young women in Frankfort and a Louisville strip club. Because of our work, Gov. Andy Beshear and many others demanded Rep. Daniel Grossberg’s resignation.

Repeatedly, we have told more stories about reckless behavior by guards and supervisors throughout the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice. Our years of revelatory work of this state agency triggered a Department of Justice investigation earlier this year.

We have examined the outsized role that lobbyists play in state politics, broke the story of how state prisoners earned millions in “digital dollars” by manipulating state-issued tablets and routinely expose questionable spending and actions by public agencies in our new “Reality Check” series.

I’m proud of my staff’s work -- even as I know two things can be true at once: We can do even deeper, more meaningful work with your tax-deductible gift.

I believe local journalism matters. We are focused exclusively on the issues confronting Kentucky’s communities, Lexington and Fayette County government and our statewide regional economy. And I promise you’ll continue to read exclusive, in-depth stories from our team that you won’t find on CNN, or read in the New York Times, or spot in your Facebook feed.

Local journalism is the cornerstone of a thriving, well-informed and engaged community.

It is, as my former publisher described, part of that perfect union that can help communities like Lexington and across the commonwealth to not only survive, but thrive.

I understand these are challenging, uneven economic times for many of you. Any contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference. Your support will help us continue to serve as the trusted voice of our community, bringing you the stories that matter most.

Thanks, as always, for reading the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com.and for considering my request.

And from our entire staff to your families, happy Thanksgiving and have a wonderful holiday season.

Richard Green is our executive editor. Reach him at rgreen@herald-leader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EditorRAG or on Bluesky at @EditorRickGreen.bsky.social.

This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 10:30 AM.