Editor's Notebook: Paying the dues for Total News—please help fund it
I'm writing to ask for your financial support of The B Square Bulletin.
After a roughly two-month hiatus, which was planned to be a permanent shutdown, The B Square is back. Over the last four weeks, some of The B Square's brand of local government coverage has returned.
But I did not return to journalism so that I could reprise a solo act reporting local government news. My goal is to lead a newsroom of a half dozen journalists who will provide the Total News that Bloomington area residents crave. A bigger, more important goal is to put that newsroom on a sustainable foundation so that it will last for generations to come.
Total News is news for all time: Future, Present, and Past. A newsroom that is founded on a commitment to Total News will deliver what today's local decision-makers need—comprehensive, accurate information about a range of topics in their full context. Local decision-makers range from elected and appointed officials to business owners, voters, parents of school-aged children, and rank-and-file residents. We're all decision-makers.
Total News for Bloomington will be operationalized with a comprehensive community calendar (Future), conventional news reports (Present), and a collection of timelines supported by a document repository (Past).
Some of those elements have already started to take shape. But this will take a bunch more hard work by a lot of people.
Today, I'm asking you to help out, with a monthly contribution of $5, $10, or more.
There's some boilerplate wording in the online contribution platform that implies that in exchange for your contribution, you will receive full access. Pay no attention to that. Everyone gets full access.
The B Square remains committed to providing barrier-free local news to everyone, regardless of their financial circumstance. Your contribution helps subsidize access to information for those who can't afford it.
I had hoped by now that the incorporation of a nonprofit would be complete. Instead, it's just in progress. It's one of myriad steps on the path to Total News that will just take more hard work and time. For now, the business organization for The B Square is still a for-profit LLC, same as it always was.
Online Method
Step 1: Visit the website and look in the upper right hand corner for the text that says "Sign in" or the red button that says "Subscribe."
If you're already receiving the Almost Daily Bulletin email message, then you are already a Member with an Account. If you're reading this in your email browser, that means you're a Member.
Step 2: If you're a Member, click the "Sign in" link. If you're not yet a Member, click the red "Subscribe" button. (If you're a Member, and you're already signed in, you'll just see a red "Account" button. Click that.)
Step 3: Pick one of the contribution plans.
Paper Check Method
A lot of people still prefer to send paper checks through the mail.
If that's your preference, make the check out to The B Square and send it here:
The B Square
PO Box 3355
Bloomington, IN 47402
Thank you for your support!
Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com
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