Daily Press Foundation Operations
Donation protected
“The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” — Thomas Jefferson
Friends,
The Santa Monica Daily Press, which has served as the city’s only daily newspaper for the past 16 years, is up for sale. Its owners want the paper to continue being the voice of its citizens, a watchdog for government and a critical piece of democracy.
When the Evening Outlook closed its doors in the 1990s, a massive void was left in the community. There was no longer a checks and balance system on government. When that happens, people lose their voices and malfeasance is almost a guarantee. Think about the city of Bell, a suburb of Los Angeles, where widespread corruption occurred within City Hall. A newspaper reporter ultimately blew the whistle on city administrators’ misappropriation of public money, and the wrongs were righted.
The ownership group of the SMDP recognized in the early 2000s that it was crucial that the city of Santa Monica and its citizenry have a newspaper to keep democracy in the hands of the people.
Now it’s time for the newspaper to be in the hands of the people. I’ve worked to create a new nonprofit, the Daily Press Foundation, to raise funds to purchase the paper and work with the existing staff to continue the daily publication of the Daily Press.
The nonprofit model is what many news organizations are turning to, and it’s proving successful. People are finding satisfaction in directly supporting their trusted news source. People no longer have to digest what other newspapers are feeding them, especially since most of them are now run by a news conglomerate that puts an emphasis on profit over reporting the news.
To carry on the good work of the SMDP and the community at large, we need your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Our goal is to raise over $1 million before the year ends to make this investment into the future a reality. The 501c(3) tax status for the organization is pending, but any donations we receive while we wait for the official designation are also completely tax deductible. Any amount will help reach our goal.
Please help us be part of the plan is to return journalism to its golden age in Santa Monica. The newspaper will continue to bring a mix of in-depth journalism and feature stories with the regular breaking local news coverage for which the Daily Press is famous. We’ll also be boosters for the City of Santa Monica while striving to maintain the vibrant mix of local views that readers have come to expect.
The Daily Press is your newspaper. Let’s help it stay the People’s Paper. We are in this together.
Thank you.
DRAFT LETTER TO SUBSCRIBERS
Friends,
The ownership group of the Santa Monica Daily Press is beginning the process to sell Santa Monica’s free daily news source. In addition to being the city’s paper of record, the Daily Press is a critical source of news and information for residents, visitors and businesses in the city.
When a local newspaper goes up for sale, there are two things that are likely to happen. A local ownership group steps up to shepherd the paper into the future or a news conglomerate takes over and puts an emphasis on profit over reporting the news.
I’m hoping that Santa Monica chooses the first route. And to help make that happen, I’ve worked to create a new non profit, the Daily Press Foundation, to raise funds to purchase the paper and to work with the existing staff to continue the daily publication of the Daily Press.
But to do that, we need your help. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today. We need to raise over $1 million before the year ends to make this sale happen. The 501c(3) tax status for the organization is pending, but any donations we receive while we wait for the official designation are also completely tax deductible.
To see what can happen when a newspaper is bought by an investment group that isn't concerned about producing the highest possible news content, one needs to look no further than the Los Angeles Times. Tronc (formerly the Tribune News Group) has put bottom line over quality news and the result has been chaos at the top editor and publisher positions, repeated shrinking of the news room in favor of syndicated AP stories, and a constant retreat from local news coverage.
It doesn’t have to be this way. More newspapers are turning to a non-profit model, and our plan is to return journalism to its golden age in Santa Monica. The newspaper will bring a mix of in-depth journalism and feature stories with the regular breaking local news coverage for which the Daily Press is famous. We’ll also be boosters for the City of Santa Monica while striving to maintain the vibrant mix of local views that readers have come to expect.
Outside of the print and web editions, we’ll also look to partner with local businesses and organizations to provide informative and fun programming open to all members of the community.
We need your financial support to bring these ideas to fruition. You can make a donation by filling out the attached postcard and returning it, by including a check in the attached envelope and mailing it, or by visiting our donation website online at :
The Daily Press is your newspaper. Let’s help it stay the People’s Paper.
P.S. - If we don’t raise enough money to purchase the paper, all remaining funds will be returned to donors at an equal percent to all donors subtracting the cost of the fundraising campaign. I.E., if we raise $100,000 and spend $10,000 then every donor would receive $90% of what they donated.
Friends,
The Santa Monica Daily Press, which has served as the city’s only daily newspaper for the past 16 years, is up for sale. Its owners want the paper to continue being the voice of its citizens, a watchdog for government and a critical piece of democracy.
When the Evening Outlook closed its doors in the 1990s, a massive void was left in the community. There was no longer a checks and balance system on government. When that happens, people lose their voices and malfeasance is almost a guarantee. Think about the city of Bell, a suburb of Los Angeles, where widespread corruption occurred within City Hall. A newspaper reporter ultimately blew the whistle on city administrators’ misappropriation of public money, and the wrongs were righted.
The ownership group of the SMDP recognized in the early 2000s that it was crucial that the city of Santa Monica and its citizenry have a newspaper to keep democracy in the hands of the people.
Now it’s time for the newspaper to be in the hands of the people. I’ve worked to create a new nonprofit, the Daily Press Foundation, to raise funds to purchase the paper and work with the existing staff to continue the daily publication of the Daily Press.
The nonprofit model is what many news organizations are turning to, and it’s proving successful. People are finding satisfaction in directly supporting their trusted news source. People no longer have to digest what other newspapers are feeding them, especially since most of them are now run by a news conglomerate that puts an emphasis on profit over reporting the news.
To carry on the good work of the SMDP and the community at large, we need your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Our goal is to raise over $1 million before the year ends to make this investment into the future a reality. The 501c(3) tax status for the organization is pending, but any donations we receive while we wait for the official designation are also completely tax deductible. Any amount will help reach our goal.
Please help us be part of the plan is to return journalism to its golden age in Santa Monica. The newspaper will continue to bring a mix of in-depth journalism and feature stories with the regular breaking local news coverage for which the Daily Press is famous. We’ll also be boosters for the City of Santa Monica while striving to maintain the vibrant mix of local views that readers have come to expect.
The Daily Press is your newspaper. Let’s help it stay the People’s Paper. We are in this together.
Thank you.
DRAFT LETTER TO SUBSCRIBERS
Friends,
The ownership group of the Santa Monica Daily Press is beginning the process to sell Santa Monica’s free daily news source. In addition to being the city’s paper of record, the Daily Press is a critical source of news and information for residents, visitors and businesses in the city.
When a local newspaper goes up for sale, there are two things that are likely to happen. A local ownership group steps up to shepherd the paper into the future or a news conglomerate takes over and puts an emphasis on profit over reporting the news.
I’m hoping that Santa Monica chooses the first route. And to help make that happen, I’ve worked to create a new non profit, the Daily Press Foundation, to raise funds to purchase the paper and to work with the existing staff to continue the daily publication of the Daily Press.
But to do that, we need your help. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today. We need to raise over $1 million before the year ends to make this sale happen. The 501c(3) tax status for the organization is pending, but any donations we receive while we wait for the official designation are also completely tax deductible.
To see what can happen when a newspaper is bought by an investment group that isn't concerned about producing the highest possible news content, one needs to look no further than the Los Angeles Times. Tronc (formerly the Tribune News Group) has put bottom line over quality news and the result has been chaos at the top editor and publisher positions, repeated shrinking of the news room in favor of syndicated AP stories, and a constant retreat from local news coverage.
It doesn’t have to be this way. More newspapers are turning to a non-profit model, and our plan is to return journalism to its golden age in Santa Monica. The newspaper will bring a mix of in-depth journalism and feature stories with the regular breaking local news coverage for which the Daily Press is famous. We’ll also be boosters for the City of Santa Monica while striving to maintain the vibrant mix of local views that readers have come to expect.
Outside of the print and web editions, we’ll also look to partner with local businesses and organizations to provide informative and fun programming open to all members of the community.
We need your financial support to bring these ideas to fruition. You can make a donation by filling out the attached postcard and returning it, by including a check in the attached envelope and mailing it, or by visiting our donation website online at :
The Daily Press is your newspaper. Let’s help it stay the People’s Paper.
P.S. - If we don’t raise enough money to purchase the paper, all remaining funds will be returned to donors at an equal percent to all donors subtracting the cost of the fundraising campaign. I.E., if we raise $100,000 and spend $10,000 then every donor would receive $90% of what they donated.
Organizer
Damien Newton
Organizer
Santa Monica, CA
