Westword Ho Ho Ho: Help Wrap Up Our End-of-the-Year Membership Drive

Our journalism is free, but that doesn't mean it comes cheap.

December 30, 2024

Audio By Carbonatix

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Since we started Westword in 1977, our weekly paper has always been free. Since we added our website more than thirty years ago, that's always been free, too. We don't believe in paywalls; we want everyone to have unrestricted access to our stories when they log on to westword.com or open a Westword box.

But while our journalism is free, it doesn't come cheap.

So six years ago, recognizing changes in the advertising industry, Westword introduced a voluntary membership program as a way to support both our print and online products. We've been very gratified by the way readers have responded; over the past year, we used your contributions to fund expanded election coverage. And now your generosity has made possible the restoration of the Culture Editor position, which was eliminated years ago for financial reasons.

To support other plans for 2025, we launched an end-of-the-year fundraising drive at the start of December; we're very close to meeting that $30,000 goal. This effort corresponds with the Colorado Media Project's #newsCOneeds campaign, a matching challenge designed to support 31 newsrooms across Colorado, including ours.

That campaign, as well as Westword's current fundraising drive, both end at the stroke of midnight on December 31. Give, and you can count on us giving back with more in-depth coverage of our community that will be more critical than ever in the new year. We also plan to host more members-only events to bring the community together, like this Sunstoney show.

We'll all need to be on the same page in 2025. So thanks in advance! Learn more about our membership program here.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

A message from Patricia Calhoun: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of essential stories and to investigate issues that matter.

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