Help The Sentinel continue reporting the region's news into the future
May 10—We cannot think of a recent time when staying informed has been more crucial. Understanding national, state, and, most importantly, local events and their impact on our audiences is vital. Welcome to News for the Future, our third annual fundraising appeal to readers and supporters of The Keene Sentinel. Our goal is to raise $50,000 this year to invest in the work of our journalists and our continued efforts to improve The Sentinel.
Thanks to past contributions, James Rinker was able to join The Sentinel as a full-time member of the newsroom in January as our digital community engagement journalist. In his role, he's been able to monitor our social media interactions to be more responsive to matters raised on these platforms and to make sure we are adding factual, collegial information to often sensitive community conversations.
Last year's fundraiser efforts helped us in hiring Rick Green in November 2021, as our Statehouse reporter. Since then, he has been covering the legislation and events happening in Concord and making sense of the impacts these bills have on local residents.
Our readers are our partners as we work together to expand our journalism, and make the work we do at The Sentinel more helpful for those living in the Monadnock Region. And we are not stopping. Our plans for 2022 include continuing to grow the Monadnock Region Health Reporting Lab, which launched in February and explores many of the health care challenges this region experiences. Reporter Olivia Belanger takes a Solutions Journalism approach, which, instead of just presenting problems, examines responses being used to help solve those problems.
We plan on partnering with local nonprofits and groups in 2022 to reach new audiences, those of color and those underserved. This region continues to change, and we not only need to be more vigilant about to whom we tell our stories, but we also need to be more inclusive in our reporting practices as well.
If you are interested in giving, please join us at www.sentinelsource.com/donate. You are supporting journalists who connect you to your community, who hold those in power accountable, who give you perspective on the local economy and government affairs, and who tell the story of the Monadnock Region.
