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Decaturish is doing important work that no one else is doing and we need your support

Avondale Estates Decatur Editor's Pick Trending

Decaturish is doing important work that no one else is doing and we need your support

Zoe Seiler. Photo by Dean Hesse.
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Help us get 700 more subscribers by July 1. Visit supportyourlocalnews.com and sign up for a subscription for as little as $6 a month. 

As I sat in Dancing Goats Friday morning in Decatur, I found myself reflecting a little bit on the last few years I’ve lived in the Atlanta area. I have spent most of that time working for Decaturish in some capacity. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been a full-time employee for two years now. 

Someone asked me the other day if I had my eye on the next publication or the next opportunity I might take. But honestly, I don’t have my eye on anything else right now. I love where I’m at, and I love what I’m doing. It has been a great joy to dig into our coverage area, especially Decatur and Avondale Estates. 

While I would still love to be a full-time legislative reporter, I am just as passionate (maybe a little more so) about municipal government and local communities. I mean, in what other job would you get to break a story about a livestock guardian dog who fought off several coyotes to protect his flock of sheep? Or write about the world’s largest sticker ball?

And in what other job would you get to sit through a six-hour-long city commission meeting while they debate missing middle housing? I will admit that those chairs at Decatur City Hall get uncomfortable after a while, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for a government meeting. It’s fun to get to see the process behind how something becomes a policy or an ordinance. 

I’ve come to establish my unofficial assigned seat at Decatur City Hall, and I’ve learned that some of the commissioners get concerned when someone sits there because it’s “Zoe’s seat.” There’s really nothing else I would rather be doing right now than keeping our Decatur community and the surrounding areas informed. 

Needless to say, my hiring and my work would not be possible without all the people who subscribe and support us. The work of my editor and our dedicated team of contributors also wouldn’t be possible without the support of our readers. 

Decaturish is celebrating 10 years in business this year, and I’m honored to play a key role in the publication and to be its first full-time hire. Decaturish has grown a lot in the last few years. We have about 2,700 paying subscribers right now. 

One of my favorite parts of the job is getting out in the community and attending meetings and events. It always warms my heart when people tell us they subscribe, and I love getting to meet you all. Your support goes a long way and helps us continue to provide a reliable community news source that’s not stuck behind a paywall. Your subscriptions support a team of people who cover our community daily. 

Decaturish is doing important work that no one else is doing. More often than not, we are the only media outlet telling stories about your community. I know I am often the only reporter at many events and meetings, at least as far as I can tell. 

While other media outlets have abandoned smaller communities in DeKalb County, we have continued to expand our coverage to include Stone Mountain, Tucker, and Clarkston, in addition to Decatur, Avondale Estates and Kirkwood/East Lake. We always want to bring news to more underserved communities.

As I enter my third year of being a full-time employee, I am so excited to see what this year has in store. I’m looking forward to all the stories we will break and making new connections. 

I’ll see you all out and about in Decatur, and if you see me, don’t hesitate to say hi! 

We have a goal of getting 700 new sign-ups by July 1. We’ve had several of our longtime subscribers up their monthly contributions. Our subscriptions start at $6 a month. You can sign up for a subscription or increase your monthly amount via Donorbox by visiting supportyourlocalnews.com.

You can sign up via supportmylocalnews.com, supportourlocalnews.com, and supportthelocalnews.com, too. They all go to the same place.

Decaturish subscribers receive our ad-free monthly e-edition, as well as access to our private Facebook and Slack groups. We also try to hold virtual town halls quarterly for our subscribers featuring a special guest. Subscribers also sometimes get exclusive deals from our advertisers.