We’re asking. Will you invest in local news?

Dear reader,

Back in April, I wrote that Peterborough Currents was entering a “make or break year” — the year that would determine whether our little local news outlet would survive or not. I explained that we had one year of runway left to reach sustainability as a business.

Today I’m writing to give you an update. We’ve made progress! We currently have 313 ongoing supporters who together contribute $4,000 per month to power our journalism. That’s the most supporters we’ve ever had. 

To everyone who already pitches in: THANK YOU. With every contribution, you reaffirm that our work is valued. And you give us the confidence to keep pushing during our year-long effort to grow. 

This year is a marathon, not a sprint. But here’s our next goal along the way: 50 new monthly supporters.

Peterborough Currents still faces a looming deadline next year. When our grant funding runs out, we’ll have to stand on our own two feet. And right now, we don’t have the resources to do that. But with 50 new supporters, we’ll be better equipped to meet the challenge. Will you help?

I believe that local journalism fulfills a deep, human need. It connects us to our communities and it gives us the information we need to fully participate as citizens.

Recently, a reader said to us that Peterborough Currents “brings back feelings of community that I hadn’t felt in quite some time.” It’s great to hear we’re having that impact.

Here’s a taste of what Currents delivered in the last four months:

• Published the fullest account of contamination at the Outboard Marine factory ever to be made public
• Took a deep look at the Fleming College cutbacks
• Documented the cultural life of our community — from roleplayers to activists to horse lovers
• Celebrated the history of the Rotary Trail
• And a lot more!

News media is in crisis across the country. But Canadians are still willing to pay for high-quality local journalism. That’s why some news outlets put up paywalls. 

At Currents, we believe local news is too important to hide behind a paywall. So we do things differently. We make our content free for everyone — and we ask readers to pay anyway.

That means our supporters aren’t just increasing access to local news for themselves — they’re ensuring the entire community stays connected and informed.

Our supporters are strengthening our community. You can too by joining them today.

Thanks for considering,

Will Pearson
Publisher-Editor
Peterborough Currents

P.S: You deserve to know how we spend our supporters’ money. That’s why we publish transparency reports that track every expense. Here’s where you can read them.