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Editor’s note: The voting is done but the work continues

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Editor’s note: The voting is done but the work continues

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Downtown Decatur. Photo by Dean Hesse.
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Editor’s note: To skip the sermon, we need more reader support. If you’re ready to do your part to support quality local news that isn’t behind a pay wall, please sign up to support Decaturish by visiting Supportmylocalnews.com. If you need more convincing or just like reading my fundraising appeals, read on. 

The results of our national election may not be known today or even tomorrow.

But no matter who ultimately prevails — President Trump or Joe Biden, Perdue or Ossoff, Loeffler or Warnock — the results make it clear that we as a nation have a lot of work to do. There are deep ideological and philosophical divides that make it hard to govern effectively or create policies that benefit everyone. I’m not here to offer solutions. I don’t know the answers.

I do know part of the answer, at least, lies in having an engaged and informed community. That’s what I’ve attempted to nurture with Decaturish. I’ve had it easier than many other smaller publishers. My readership is affluent and well educated. It isn’t hard to sell them on the value of local journalism.

But for many readers it isn’t valuable enough to support financially and that needs to change for Decaturish to survive long term. I’ve fought hard to avoid implementing a paywall here. I don’t believe in gentrifying the news. That model is not without its limitations. I ultimately depend upon the generosity of our supporters.

The work to create an informed republic continues, and it starts in our own back yards. Yesterday, thanks to our 1.375 paying supporters, we were able to put a team of reporters to work creating vibrant local stories about our elections. I want Decaturish to provide that level of coverage every single day. My vision, my goal, is for Decaturish to become a local publication with regional impact. You can’t do that without financial backing and while we have achieved a lot this year, doubling our supporters in about six months, we are still short of the goal I set of getting 2,500 supporters by 2021.

This goal is attainable. Reaching it will allow us to build a solid foundation to grow and expand the company. Wouldn’t you like to see coverage like you saw yesterday every single day? That’s what we’re shooting for.

Supporters are not unrewarded. We provide them with a monthly e-edition and first-run exclusive stories they can’t find elsewhere. We are constantly working to expand supporter benefits. But the biggest benefit by far is the news you read here. It’s what helps me keep reporters covering DeKalb County Elections Board drama, city government scuttlebutt and countywide dysfunction. It helps me hire photographers who shoot terrific photos that illustrate the story better than words ever could. It’s what helps us cover the touching and emotionally resonant stories that uplift us in our darkest moments.

It’s work that we simply cannot do without you. Let’s get Decaturish to 2,500 paying supporters by 2021. Let’s work together to grow this website into something thriving and special. If you read us and like us but you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, visit Supportmylocalnews.com today and sign up to become a paying supporter. Or click one of the links below:

To chip in $3 a month, click here.

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To chip in $60 a year, click here.

To make a one-time, non-recurring contribution click here.

Thank you for supporting Decaturish.com!

PLEASE NOTE: Decaturish is not a 501-c-3 organization. Decaturish.com is online-only. We don’t have a print edition at this time. Paying to support Decaturish is not the same thing as signing up for the daily email generated by the Decaturish.com RSS feed. That email shows you the stories published since you received the last email. The daily email is free to everyone. If you aren’t getting that email, you can sign up by clicking here.

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If you appreciate our work on this story, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about your community. To become a supporter, click here

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