Dear Pelham Examiner Reader,
Six years ago, Pelham’s student writers realized there was a problem: The town’s last local newspaper had shut down. Of course, this wasn’t an isolated issue–even today, local newsrooms around the country are struggling to stay alive. So, a few weeks after the closure, I walked around my AP physics classroom with a sign-up sheet for our bold solution to the problem. We would start a community newspaper run by students. With that, the Pelham Examiner was born.
Since then, the Pelham Examiner has grown into something I didn’t know it could become. It’s a newspaper that publishes an average of 18 articles and announcements per week. It’s a newspaper that has won eight awards from the New York Press Association. And it’s a newspaper that brings the best local news coverage to the Town of Pelham.
This last point cannot be overstated. In an increasingly polarized society in which “fake news” feels rampant and distrust of the media is ever growing, local papers have never been more important. They’re a pillar of democracy, helping people understand and vote in local elections and holding local governments and organizations accountable. They highlight people, events and problems in local communities, ultimately bringing them together and helping them flourish. Through letters to the editor and comment sections, they give community members a voice and a space for open discussion. The Examiner serves the Pelham community by doing all of this, every day.
I cannot write about how the Examiner helps Pelham without highlighting how it helps its writers. Many students discover a passion for writing through the Examiner. In fact, several alumni have gone on to pursue careers in journalism. As for myself, the summer before starting college, I received a note from my admissions officer at Brown specifically noting how special they thought the Examiner was. The Examiner taught me how to communicate effectively. It taught me how to seek truth in an unbiased way. These are skills that extend beyond journalism and college admissions–a fact that I can vouch for as a current PhD student in biomedical sciences. And for all that, it is indeed special.
Our mission is to inform everyone, regardless of financial circumstances, of events occurring in and around Pelham, and thus, there is no subscription required; content is free to the public. We are also proud that we teach the principles of journalism to our all-volunteer editorial staff.
But this mission is not sustainable without your help!
To ensure it can continue publishing, the Pelham Examiner has set two goals this fall: to recruit new staff members and to raise $30,000 to support our operations. Students, please consider joining the staff—no experience required! Readers, with Giving Tuesday two weeks away, please make a tax-deductible donation to our community newspaper!
With gratitude,
Francesca Di Cristofano
Founder and Managing Editor (2018-2019)
Board Member and Secretary
