From the editor: The Fresno Bee reaches more readers than ever. It also needs your help
I don’t venture very far these days.
Like you, I’m hunkered down at home — typing these words on a laptop set atop my kitchen table. It’s from here that I’ve overseen The Fresno Bee’s coronavirus pandemic coverage that appears online at fresnobee.com and in the print edition.
I stare at this tiny screen and witness with pride the news content we’ve produced under circumstances that were unthinkable even a few weeks ago. Our reporters, editors and visual journalists all are working remotely and they haven’t missed a beat, bringing you up-to-the-minute news about a public health crisis that has closed schools, shuttered businesses and changed every one of our lives in ways we have yet to count.
This scrappy, all-hands-on-deck nature has been emblematic of The Bee’s newsroom for generations. Our journalists have written hundreds of stories at all hours of the day and night with one goal in mind: arming you with the most important and accurate information you need to make informed decisions about your lives and livelihoods.
And you’re reading what we’re producing — devouring it, really. I know because I’ve charted the dramatic rise in the number of pageviews at www.fresnobee.com. The growth has been in the millions. It’s because we’ve been there for you — not only providing breaking news but following up on your tips, providing content that can’t be found anywhere else and highlighting the good deeds that are a hallmark of our region.
The Fresno Bee has never reached more people in its history — and our role has never been more important. This is the biggest story of our lives. No one has avoided impact from the pandemic.
But at a time when we’re most needed, The Bee’s financial situation has become quite dire.
Philanthropy assist
As Publisher Tim Ritchey wrote last week, it’s not easy being in the local news business in 2020. Heck, it’s not easy being in any business.
The headwinds facing the local news industry were present well before anyone had heard of COVID-19, and we’ve aggressively pursued the addition of journalists to The Bee through philanthropy. The added resources have helped us meet the high demand of coronavirus crisis coverage.
The Bee’s Education Lab, which now is at a full staff of four, has pivoted its coverage to reflect current needs. The lab’s journalists have gone well beyond answering the “who/what/where” and into the “how/why” by explaining the impact of the pandemic on education and providing resources to parents and students. For example, engagement reporter Isabel Dieppa recently held a live chat with an expert on how to keep kids learning while at home.
The Fresnoland Lab — a four-person team that will cover issues such as land use, water, growth and neighborhood issues in the central San Joaquin Valley — was in the midst of the hiring process when coronavirus forced us all to change our daily routines.
The uncertainty, of course, has slowed our quest to complete the team. But we’ve conducted interviews and continue to move forward. And Danielle Bergstrom, the lab’s policy and engagement editor, already has made impact with resource-filled stories on such topics as how to get help if you’re facing the loss of income or food during the pandemic and explaining how the eviction process works for anxious tenants who can’t pay the rent. These have been some of the best-read stories at fresnobee.com during the pandemic.
Last year, CalMatters and the national Report for America program provided funding for a reporter to cover poverty and related issues in Fresno and the region. Manuela Tobias has made an impact in this role, and I’m happy to say that both RFA and CalMatters will fund this position for a second year as part of the California Divide project. Like all reporters, Tobias has shifted her focus to cover the fast-changing pandemic.
And we need more resources to do that as the region begins the hard work of rebuilding. Report for America recently approved a proposal to add a second reporter starting in June in Fresno to cover Latino issues in our region. This role now is more important than ever as it will keep an eye on the unique impacts of coronavirus on underserved communities. RFA will cover a portion of the reporter’s salary and we’re looking for help to cover the rest.
Ways you can help
That brings me to the first way you can help. You can donate to support this new position at bitly.com/FresnoBeeRFA.
There’s another way you can help.
In the past month and as part of our mission to serve the community, we lifted the paywall on fresnobee.com that limits the number of stories non-subscribers can read. This means that all stories related to coronavirus have been open to anyone. But now, as businesses in our community have suffered and our advertising revenue has dropped, we will turn the paywall back on for many of these stories. It will still be off on vital breaking news.
Let me be frank about this: there are stories that The Bee produces that can’t be found anywhere else.
Times are exceedingly tough for our audience. But a digital subscription to The Bee is affordable to most and goes a long way toward sustaining our work. You can sign up at fresnobee.com/subscribe.
For those of you who already are subscribers, thank you. We will work hard to earn your continued support. The Bee recently was honored by its journalism peers with nine statewide awards and a recognition for general excellence, and will continue on this trajectory. And if you’re reading this as a print subscriber, digital access is included in your subscription. Activate it online.
To say I’m proud of all of the work I mentioned is an understatement. It’s the highlight of my nearly 20 years of leading newsrooms.
A digital subscription helps us continue to do our jobs. It’s your way to contribute to the work we do on your behalf.
And when we get past this pandemic, we’ll be here to tell those stories, too. Because we love Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley.
The Bee needs you. And you need The Bee.
Let’s do this together.
This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
