As 2023 comes to a close, the Press is truly grateful for those of you who are sustaining subscribers. This program has not only helped us come much closer to becoming sustainable, it has even allowed us to contemplate bringing improvements to the paper and our website.
In January we will be giving our writers and photographers a small bump in pay—the first in 17 years. Without a doubt, our writers and photographers work for love of community. They sacrifice their time and share their talents with little remuneration. It is a pleasure to do this as a small “thank you” for their incredible commitment to Harvard. Without them, there would be no Press.
We will also be exploring software to make ad sales, subscriptions, and website-posting streamlined and within industry standards. We have limped along for years with self-developed software and processes that require too much time and attention.
The community’s generosity allowed us for the first time this year to produce a few full-color issues. Our Fourth of July and Halloween coverage included beautiful color spreads. We hope to do more of that in the future.
Another gift that community support has allowed us is to take on additional reporting assignments. For instance, we’ve increased our coverage of Devens as the disposition of Devens is now only 10 years away and the results will have a significant impact on Harvard. We will continue to bring you news that helps you understand and participate in the town’s future.
We’ve also taken on more student reporters and college interns to help educate the next generation of journalists. This work takes time and oversight, but we see it as our responsibility to make community news sustainable for not only Harvard, but for democracy in general.
So, if you’re a sustaining subscriber, thank you! And if you’re not, please consider becoming one or making a year-end contribution to the Press. It is not tax deductible, but it is a tangible investment in our community. Go to our website and click the green “be a sustainer” button.
Lisa Aciukewicz and Sue Robbins are co-owners and publishers of the Press.
