Dear readers,
We have had a tumultuous few weeks in Jasper. I, like most of you, feel like I have had my business and personal life thrown into a whirlwind. But as the dust begins to settle on our “new normal,” we have to look forward.
In Jasper, community values and support are what keep us going. Literally, for us at the Fitzhugh. As a free newspaper, almost all of our funding comes from local advertising. But with the COVID-19 pandemic closing so many Jasper businesses’ doors, it puts our future into question.
We have no plans to stop reporting, especially while you need us most. As others have slowed down, our workload has exploded. We remain on the front line and are committed to keeping you updated on the latest developments, telling your stories and keeping the community connected.
But we need your help.
Right now we have to go digital-only with our Thursday editions of the Fitzhugh. But with your support we could get the printing press back up and running.
There are vulnerable members of our community who don’t have access to the internet and rely on our printed product to stay informed. Our newspaper is a valuable resource and we want it to be available to everybody.
If you would like to support the Fitzhugh, click here.
If we can raise $2,000 by April 14 we can fire up the printing press again without missing an edition. Our goal is to raise $35,000 to print and distribute the Fitzhugh for the next six months while local businesses get back on their feet.
That means if 175 of the thousands of people who read the Fitzhugh every day signed up for an honorary year-long $200 subscription, we would meet our goal. Or, if 700 people contributed $5 per month for a year or made a one-time donation of $50, that would get us there too.
We did have some good news earlier this week. The Fitzhugh was selected as one of 400 North American news outlets (and one of 11 in Alberta) to receive a $5,000 grant from the Facebook Journalism Project to support newsrooms covering the COVID-19 outbreak. That will help pay staff wages over the coming months as we wait for provincial and federal programs to become available.
These are unprecedented times but ones we can get through if we all support each other.
The Fitzhugh is your community newspaper. We love our readers, advertisers and the community - and we strive to support local businesses. Now is your chance to support us too.
Fuchsia Dragon
Editor/Publisher
