Dear New Hampshire,
Merry Christmas. I say that knowing it is a really tough time for many of you. I can only say we will do our part at InDepthNH.org to get the information you need as fast as we can. We send out a free newsletter most nights, but friend us on Facebook and Twitter and check our website during the day. We post news as soon as the story is written, and we will never have a paywall so it’s free. No time for dawdling or old-fashioned deadlines.
Like many of you, the West family has scaled down our Christmas celebration. Instead of a large gathering at one home, each family will stay at their own home and celebrate with gratitude. One lucky family hit the grandma lottery and gets two grandmas, me included, and a great-grandma, for dinner and social distancing.
It has to beat last year’s exchange of gifts on the front porch, but I can’t wait for the year when we can re-institute the Christmas Eve sleepover at my grandson’s house. It will come.
Sad to say we had to cancel a much-anticipated visit from family in New Jersey as well. Thankfully we have Zoom to say hi and share love with Henry and Jonathan and Hannah and other family around the country!
I hope your family is as lucky as ours. We have not lost anyone to the virus and we want to keep it that way. If you have lost a loved one, my heart is with you today.
I really wanted to write to you all to say how much I appreciate your readership and your donations that we rely on as a free nonprofit. I love your feedback, too, messages telling me when you like or dislike about what we are doing.
NewsMatch continues through Dec. 31 so you can still double your donation.
7 Days To Double Your Donation to InDepthNH.org
We need your help. Double your donation because of NewsMatch and a generous local donor through Dec. 31.
Donate here: http://indepthnh.org/donate/ or send check to NH Center for Public Interest Journalism, 38 Edgewater Drive, Barrington NH 03825 Thanks, Nancy West
Starting Jan. 1, we will double down on building a sustainable path to finance the future of news in New Hampshire. We have a generous grant from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Geoffrey E. Clark and Martha Fuller Clark Fund to do this work but we will need your help. We are planning mailers, emails and webinars to talk about what is happening now in the news business and we will be asking you to join a group to help us build the future.
The business end of journalism is so important. As far as real news that matters, the stronger we build the business end, the more we can grow the news end.
Our mission is to hold the powerful accountable and dig deep to tell you the truth about what is going on. We also give voice to marginalized people, places and ideas. The stronger we get businesswise the more indepth reporting we can do.
We have the most experienced reporters and columnists in the state. Journalists like Garry Rayno and Paula Tracy don’t grow on trees. Sorry, I just love picturing that in my mind.
We are all three veterans from the Union Leader who want to keep doing the work we love for you.
We have two special podcasters Roger Wood and Wayne King and amazing writers like Michael Davidow, Susan Dromey Heeter, and we are always trying to coax back John Harrigan and editorial cartoonist Mike Marland for special appearances in 2022. We dusted off last year’s Christmas card from Mike to remind him he is loved and needed here.
(See below to link to all our columns.)
Beverly Stoddart is focusing on the great writers we have in her column A NH Writers Life. Arnie Alpert keeps us posted on Active with the Activists, Bob Charest, who is our go-to-behind-the-scenes guy on all matters, gives us Why You Should Care New Hampshire. George Liset makes me want to take up fly fishing.
And my sister, Monica West, thanks for her book reviews in Monica Reads. Monica is recovering from breaking one leg and breaking the other ankle at the same time needing metal, lots of doctors and a wonderful husband (which she has) to put her back together.
Also thanks to Donald M. Kreis, NH’s Consumer Advocate for his column Power to the People.
So what did we do this year that we are particularly proud of? Everything. We don’t print filler.
We are especially proud of how Garry Rayno reports the facts from the statehouse with that extra historical perspective of someone who has been doing it for decades and he uses his column Distant Dome to pull it altogether. He makes complex stories about school funding, utility law and how our massive legislature works easy to understand.
We are proud to report the truth without fear or favor – always.
Paula Tracy posted a video of her first COVID-19 test early on in the pandemic so you wouldn’t be afraid. Paula’s specialty is people. She started a new video column call IHopNH where she interviews people holding placards in the halls of power. That was before the statehouse was closed.
And she makes sure you know what the Executive Council approves and disapproves of. Same with lawmakers. And she doesn’t miss a beat covering Gov. Chris Sununu’s press conferences. Paula also takes us hiking and skiing in her columns.
We also have great reporting from Damien Fisher and Thomas Caldwell covering police reform and solid waste.
I cover a little of everything, but we will continue our focus in 2022 on police reform. We have one story we have been working on for more than a year but haven’t published yet. It’s coming, starting in January because of a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. More on this later.
It’s going to be an amazing year 2022. Please be safe. Thanks for letting us do what we love best. We love working for you New Hampshire.
Thanks, Nancy West
7 Days To Double Your Donation to InDepthNH.org
We need your help. Double your donation because of NewsMatch and a generous local donor through Dec. 31.
Donate here: http://indepthnh.org/donate/ or send check to NH Center for Public Interest Journalism, 38 Edgewater Drive, Barrington NH 03825 Thanks, Nancy West
A NH LIFE
By Beverly Stoddart
ACTIVE WITH THE ACTIVISTS
By Arnie Alpert of Canterbury
WRITING ON THE FLY
By George Liset of Dover
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE NH
By Bob Charest of Epsom
RADIO FREE NEW HAMPSHIRE
By Michael Davidow of Manchester
MONICA READS
By Monica West
JOYFUL MUSINGS
By Susan Dromey Heeter of Dover
VIEW FROM ABOVE THE NOTCHES
By John Harrigan of Colebrook
THE VIEW FROM RATTLESNAKE RIDGE
By Wayne D. King of Rumney
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
By D. Maurice Kreis
MIKE MARLAND CARTOONS
DISTANT DOME
By Garry Rayno of New London
THE GAY AGENDA
By Sam Whitaker of Keene
InDEPTHNH
By Roger Wood of Portsmouth
Credit: Source link
