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| Dear Friend, I’m Ethan Toven-Lindsey, KQED’s Executive Editor of News. The last month and a half has been like nothing I’ve experienced in my two decades as a professional journalist. This crisis has challenged local news media – in some places, you’re hearing about layoffs and cutbacks. But at KQED we’ve stepped forward – renewing our commitment to you and our mission-driven work. My simple proposal: support our journalistic efforts with a donation to KQED. Despite the new challenges we face, we haven’t slowed down for one minute. KQED journalists have conducted exclusive interviews with key policymakers like Gov. Gavin Newsom, revealed breaking news about local economic impacts of the crisis, and gone deep on the explanatory and scientific journalism so critical right now. And we’ve done that while sheltering in our homes – hosts and anchors have turned basements, closets and spare bedrooms into live broadcast recording spaces. Editors and producers are working from home. We’ve kept a small crew of key staff at our office, because we were deemed an “essential service” during this extraordinary time. We’ve redistributed resources to provide more support for educators and parents and dedicated the second hour of Forum to statewide conversations around the pandemic. Our engagement team has received over 1,800 questions about the coronavirus, responding to 300 via email and answering countless more on air and online. And we’re not stopping there. KQED audiences are deeply devoted, not just to their favorite programs, but to the irreplaceable mission of KQED to inform, involve and inspire our community. Thank you for giving us that opportunity. Now, in this time of crisis, we need your help to keep this all going. Without you, this doesn’t work and KQED goes away. We’ve watched in recent weeks as other local newsrooms lose even more jobs or shut down completely. Local competitors have furloughed or laid-off journalists we all respect and rely on. The New York Times used the word “ravaged” to describe what has happened to American journalism in this pandemic. At the same time, the public service journalism we produce day in and day out has never been more important in our lifetime. Never. We need you to step up and join us now. Here’s what you can do. Be one of 250 new or upgraded sustaining monthly donors by midnight on May 3 and help us unlock a $25,000 challenge issued by two KQED major donors. Each new or upgraded monthly sustaining gift will be met with a one-time gift of $100 from these donors. Your gift will have even more impact – because you stepped up to meet the challenge.
If you value our work, please take a moment to power this journalism with a tax-deductible gift today. We are a non-profit newsroom and your support is essential to our existence.
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