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We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

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You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Tyee News

Wow! Thanks So Much

Surge of donations will support fresh round of in-depth reporting.

David Beers 21 Dec 2007TheTyee.ca

David Beers is founding editor of The Tyee.
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David Beers is founding editor of The Tyee.

Amazing. There’s no better word to describe the expression of support we have received from you, our readers, during our fundraising drive for The Tyee’s Fellowships for Investigative and Solutions Reporting.

We started with a pledge from some donors to match the first $10,000 our readers might contribute. As of Dec. 19, the last day of the drive, we had received $19,000 from readers! That, plus the matching $10,000 and some remaining funds from our initial fundraising drive, gives us enough for two years’ worth of Fellowships for talented journalists.

Truly grassroots support

Most of your contributions were in the range of $50 to $200, which shows, we think, both a high level of individual commitment by you who donated, and also a broad base of support for the Fellowships initiative. And in a season when many worthy causes are asking for help, we were humbled to receive a surge of donations in the final week of our drive.

Your new way of funding independent journalism is a source of inspiration for people concerned with media diversity even beyond the borders of B.C. It’s a key reason The Tyee was identified as a bright spot of innovation in On Behalf of Journalism: A Manifesto for Change, a major study of the state of the news media in North America (see page 19).

To find out how the funds are managed, how Fellowship recipients are selected, and what impacts Fellowships series already published have made, you can read this. (And yes, if you haven’t given, you still can.)

And the winners are...

Everyone who donated $50 or more was entered to win a Tyee tote bag filled with coffee and tea from Ethical Bean, and books from New Society Publishers, and Harper Collins Canada.

Everyone who donated $100 or more was also entered to win the grand prize: a jorg & olif citybike. Congrats to Sabrina Iseli-Otto, the lucky winner of the citybike. Congrats as well to the winners of the Tyee tote bag and goodies, including: Rick Cooper, Jan Westlund, HP Toews, Susan Swanson, Victor Pearson, Jan Kennett, and Doug Delaney.

To all who gave, the true rewards will appear here in The Tyee in the months to come, as our independent advisory board chooses the strongest applications, and four journalists receive $5,000 each to get to work on their series of articles about critical issues for British Columbians.

What matters to you

When you donated, we asked you to tell us what issues really mattered to you. And tell us you did!

Definite themes emerged as clear concerns: climate change & sustainable solutions, resource depletion, the widening gap between rich and poor, homelessness and affordable housing, government secrecy and accountability, media concentration, the effects of privatization, Canada’s role in the greater world, and much more.

From the bottom of my heart, a big thank you and best wishes for the holidays and new year. [Tyee]

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