I’m going to be taking a break from writing on Iowa Starting Line for the next two weeks now that the primary is over and most of my post-election wrap-up pieces are done. That’s not a break from work, though (and I still have two or three stories that I’ll probably get pulled into writing).
The business side of Starting Line was badly neglected during the primary, with simply too many candidates, too much breaking news and too few hours in the day to get everything done. I prioritized getting our readers as much news as possible this year, figuring I could raise the money later. Now we’re to later, and I just barely have enough funds to get through the end of the month.
So, I’ll be undertaking a big fundraising push for the next two weeks in order to, you know, continue existing. Because as we’ve seen this year, having an aggressive Iowa press corps that holds our elected officials accountable is crucial if Kim Reynolds and Republicans’ actions are to ever have consequences. Our mission has unfortunately become even more important as Iowa continues to lose reporters at multiple different news outlets around the state.
My goal is to raise enough funds to bring on another reporter, full or part-time. There is simply way too much to cover between now and the November election. I often feel like I’m missing out on a lot of important stories. And at the very least, I’m trying to hire someone to handle some of the business operations of Starting Line so I’m not overwhelmed with that, either.
Watch for announcements about various fundraisers across the state. Or just go ahead and donate now so I get a head start. And if you feel you can help out in this effort in a larger way, contact me at IowaStartingLine@gmail.com to set up a meeting.
Thanks as always for continuing to read and share our stories. We’ve had a lot of great success this year, but it wouldn’t be possible without all of you. And keep checking in over the next two weeks, we’ll still have some guest posts and the occasional story.
Talk to you later.
by Pat Rynard
Posted 6/12/18