Local journalism is essential. That's why the Times-Union needs your continued support

Since I moved to Jacksonville in 2015, I've been proud to associate myself with the journalism produced by my colleagues at the Times-Union.

Last year, that pride grew when I became executive editor and got the chance to lead this newsroom full of talented, thoughtful journalists.

Local journalists are essential to the communities they serve. If I didn't firmly believe that, I wouldn't be doing this job.

I also believe that the Times-Union is still in the best position of anyone to provide that essential journalism in Northeast Florida.

We continue to serve as a community watchdog, keeping an eye on taxpayer money and covering fraud and various misdeeds of elected and appointed officials.

We'll keep a watchful eye on big-ticket items being discussed this year like the proposed stadium renovations and a potential relocation of the Duval County jail to ensure a transparent process where the public's business is being done in public and taxpayers have an accurate accounting of how their money is spent.

But local journalism is about more than investigations and accountability. It's about telling the story of who we are as a community.

It's about mourning community tragedies, like the racist killing of three Black people at a Dollar General store in August.

It's about celebrating community successes, like the dozens of local student-athletes who were recognized on our various All-First Coast teams this week.

And it's about shining a light on the community's needs, and what's being done to address them. Even seemingly small stories can have a big impact. But you don't have to take my word for it.

Last year, with the cost of eggs skyrocketing, a St. Johns County nonprofit aimed to help seniors living on a fixed income by delivering the nutritious staple to their homes. Veteran Times-Union reporter Beth Reese Cravey highlighted the Pie in the Sky Community Alliance's effort, and the outpouring of support from the community was overwhelming.

The nonprofit's director, Malea Guiriba, said her group was inundated with donations and offers of assistance as soon as the story was published. Guiriba was kind enough to share a note of thanks.

"Beth, you know it, and I know it, but I'm going to say it: This is what journalism is all about, and this is how important LOCAL journalists are to our community," Guiriba wrote.

"Your story, the power of your words, has inspired an already giving community to dig deeper and to see even more about what is happening in their community."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

There's a prevailing narrative about local media being on the decline that I feel compelled to push back against.

For one, the importance of objective and informative local journalism is as important now as it always has been.

But secondly, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. Perhaps to the chagrin of some, the Times-Union isn't going anywhere. There is no death spiral, and we're not circling any drains.

In fact, while the Golden Era of newspapers may be in the past, we've found ourselves in a period of relative stability and are entering a period of growth. And it's all due to the support of readers like you.

Here are some facts:

• Since the beginning of 2021, our number of digital subscribers has more than doubled. If you're among those subscribers, thank you. If you're not, please consider joining their ranks by visiting jacksonville.com/subscribenow.

• In that same time period, our newsgathering staff has grown by more than 15%.

• That growth in subscriber support and staff size has resulted in more journalism reaching more of our community. Tens of thousands of readers subscribe to our newsletters, featuring exclusively Times-Union content and sent directly to their inbox seven days a week. And millions more readers visited our website in 2023 than in 2022.

The fact is, there is no one in a position to do the journalism the Times-Union does in our community at the scale at which we do it.

You can help contribute to that essential work by continuing to read and, hopefully, subscribe.

Thank you as always for your support of the Times-Union, and local journalism more broadly.

Have a blessed new year.

Paul Runnestrand is the executive editor of the Florida Times-Union. He may be reached at prunnestrand@jacksonville.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Journalists at the Florida Times-Union are committed to serving Jacksonville