Dear Reader,
Hello. Yes, you. It’s you I’m talking to — or, should I say, talking with.
This has been quite a year in the world. I think we can all agree on that. After 38 years as a journalist, 2025 has made one thing even clearer to me than it has been in the past: Having tools to understand our world is more pivotal than ever. The trouble is, how to find those tools among all the static and misinformation that our on-demand culture of information throws at us?
For western Pennsylvanians, I’d submit that one of those key tools is none other than Public Source. Its staff is committed to helping make sense of the world of Pittsburgh and its environs.
When I was invited to join the Public Source board in 2020, I didn’t really have the time. It was the peak of the pandemic. My role at The Associated Press was more challenging than ever. Like so many of us, I was trying to figure out how to keep my family safe. I was commuting regularly from Hampton Township to New York and other places. Lots of things were pulling at my time, and I’m afraid volunteering wasn’t top of mind for me at that moment.
But when I looked closer at Public Source, what I saw intrigued me: a humanistic approach to the news. A pledge to amplifying less-heard voices. And a deep commitment to keeping those who serve the public — and who are paid by the public — accountable for the jobs they have taken on.
In the years since I joined, I have only seen the organization grow stronger. Under the leadership of Halle Stockton and Jennie Ewing Liska and their talented teams, Public Source has refreshed its mission statement and its strategic plan to emphasize not only information and news but empathy, community understanding and involvement. Those principles are evident in every article, every photograph, every project that engages with the community to both understand the people whom Public Source serves and help give readers a voice in the coverage.
The fact, though, is that journalism — real, boots-on-the-ground journalism, not merely aggregation or scraping or rewriting or curating — is not cheap. Reliable news and yes, even wisdom, must be funded. So at this important juncture in our country’s history, I’m asking you to consider helping Public Source do even more of what it does best in 2026 — help inform, help understand and listen to those who make up this community we share — by making a donation today. And don’t forget, your gift will be matched! Until Dec. 31, monthly gifts are matched 12x, and one-time donations are doubled.
