Some local news, and a question.

Dear Reader,

I’m Liena Zagare, editor and publisher of Bklyner.

I’m writing today to let you know that Bklyner is joining prominent news organizations around the country by launching a membership program to help sustain the public service we provide to the community.

Journalism is vital to our democracy. And we believe it should be free and accessible to everyone. That’s why we don’t have a paywall on our site, charge a subscription fee, or clutter our articles with ads that have nothing to do with our community.

We believe there is another way to fund quality journalism. We are doubling down on the idea that if we ask our readers to contribute what you think we’re worth, we can build a sustainable business model for local news.

It’s working in San Diego and San Antonio and Denver and Honolulu. I think it can work in Brooklyn, too. Frankly, it has to. It’s that important.

If you value dependable local reporting, will you become a sustaining member?

Yes, I’ll invest in local journalism!

I personally promise we’ll make you proud of your investment.

For those of you who became subscribers this year – you are now our founding members.  Thank you for your continued support of local independent journalism!

With your help, we keep all our readers informed daily, fund projects and investigations like our ongoing coverage of housing and development, and work with journalism students at local colleges. Your support has allowed us to host local primary debates, and answer reader questions whether about sanitation issues or parking rules, or what’s coming next to a corner near you. It has allowed us to hire another reporter – Kadia Goba – and we hope to hire more.

We are committed to making Brooklyn better by confronting problems and holding local leaders accountable through daily reporting. Bklyner provides a critical public service—but it’s not free to report and investigate. Even a $10/month membership goes a long way toward keeping this service going. Our goal is to have 10,000 paying members. Currently, we have about 2,000—so we have a long way to go.

Will you show your support today and get us one step closer to our goal?

Yes, I’ll invest in local journalism!

Your membership gets you a series of benefits—including free admission to our events, meetings with our reporters, members-only communications and more  – the more of us there are the more we can offer you. Most importantly, by supporting Bklyner you join a community of residents who believe our borough and its neighborhoods can be better.

Bklyner has always been a virtual civic square for the community to discuss important ideas and issues, a place where your voice can be heard. As always, we value your feedback and any thoughts you have about our website, our coverage, or anything else. Email me at Liena@bklyner.com with your comments and concerns.

Thank you for your support. We wouldn’t be here without it!

Thanks,

Liena Zagare
Editor