A letter from our editor

We struggle at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to keep up with the region’s explosive growth.

Each day we must leave unreported news with real impact and stories of worthy people and causes because we simply can’t keep up as the region grows.

We all know the vital role local journalism plays in communities; without it, crime increases, local accountability diminishes and people lose access to the critical information they need to make informed decisions.

We strive each day to give you the news and its impact and enough context to understand both.

We value our readers and know this region deserves a quality newspaper. We’re asking you to help us stay strong and stay on task. Your donation to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project, administered through the Arkansas Community Foundation Northwest Office, will help us continue to tell your stories and hold government accountable to you.

The Walton Family Foundation has given a grant to match up to $100,000 in donations. This means your gift will have double the impact on local news reporting.

Being a journalist and a member of the Fourth Estate is a privilege. Fulfilling our role as watchdogs, though, comes at a cost.

The Medill Local News Initiative, in a report released last year, found there was no access to local news in 26 counties across the country where more than 3.5 million people live. That’s more than the population of Arkansas.

We had a reporter in Tulsa earlier this year as your eyes and ears in a lawsuit that accuses local poultry companies of polluting the Illinois River. He was the only Arkansas journalist there. How will our community stay informed if no one gathers the information and reports it in a clear, vetted and unbiased way?

With your help in any amount, we can raise the $100,000 match grant and much more. Our hope is to continue to build on this foundation so that contributions from our readers reach $1 million over the next few years. We need your support; not just today but continuing as long as we meet your need for news and information.

We will use that money to expand and continue our reporting on the region’s infrastructure such as water, sewer and

transportation; its environment like landfill space, air quality and greenspace; the services that add quality to our lives such as health care and education; and the recreational and cultural gems that we continue to grow: museums, trails, theater, culinary arts, live music.

We have struggled along with other media. Despite being in the wealthiest, fastest-growing part of the state, we are not profitable. 

Profit is important for any business in any industry. But in this industry, the pursuit of profit in place of full and accurate reporting is folly.

I believe the only way forward for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is to continue to produce a quality publication that focuses on our readers first and makes the business of the people its core responsibility.

And that is our goal above anything else. We work to report the news through podcasts, videos, photos and the traditional written word.

With your help we can continue our work covering breaking news like the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes and investigative stories on topics such as the safety of the Tontitown landfill and claims of excessive use of force by Benton County jailers.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is a combination of several outstanding newspapers, the oldest beginning publication in 1868.

Many of our reporters have worked in the region for decades - some reporting on the same topic. Tracy Neal has reported on courts and crime in Benton County for 24 years. Doug Thompson has watched over state government, immigration and the environment in Northwest Arkansas for 26 years. Ron Wood has been a fixture in Northwest newsrooms since 1988. Outdoor writer Flip Putthoff has been hiking, fishing and cycling in the Ozarks for 45 years - and he’s taken our readers along for each adventure.

Your contribution to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project is an investment in the future of local news.

Lisa Thompson

Executive Editor

Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette