Dear Neighbor,

My name is Jack Rooney, and I am The Keene Sentinel’s managing editor for audience development. I’m writing to invite you to the launch of two exciting new initiatives: the Keene Sentinel Local Journalism Fund and The Sentinel Community Advisory Board.

We will mark the beginning of these important projects on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Showroom (20 Commercial St. in Keene). The evening will feature a conversation with two journalists from the Uvalde Leader-News, the newspaper serving Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.

Managing Editor Meghann Garcia and Melissa Federspill, assistant managing editor, will share their experience covering the tragedy, and discuss the invaluable role a local newspaper can play in a community during such times. The Leader-News is the subject of the ABC documentary Print it Black available on Hulu, which follows staff reporting on the shooting and, particularly, journalist Kimberly Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, in the shooting.

The launch of The Keene Sentinel Local Journalism Fund offers a new way for our neighbors in the Monadnock Region to make contributions to help sustain community journalism. Nationwide, local newspapers are closing at an alarming rate — more than two per week last year — and the death of these news sources harms the towns and cities that suddenly lose access to important news and information.

At the launch event, we will also introduce the first members of The Keene Sentinel Advisory Board, a group of local folks who will assist the fund and serve as important voices in the paper’s role as a civic partner in the region. Advisory board members will not influence our newsroom’s independent coverage, but they can provide valuable feedback and advice on The Sentinel’s success in meeting our mission. We continue to seek advisory board members, with the goal of recruiting 20-25 participants.

Terry Williams, The Sentinel’s retired president and COO, is spearheading the fund and advisory board’s development. He says it is critical for the community to rally around the newspaper in support of its essential purpose.

“The somber reality is that newspapers are shuttering across the country due to failed business models and splintered news consumption habits,” he said. “So far, The Sentinel has been able to survive against such forces, but there’s a limit to its resiliency, and we hope the community can help fund our newsroom so that the paper’s important purpose can be retained.”

Through the Local Journalism Fund, The Sentinel aims to raise $75,000 in 2025, while continuing to seek grants from local and national funders and foundations. Advisory board members will be important local ambassadors, and will be able to meet local, regional and national journalists at events like the launch event and similar gatherings in the future.

Admission is free for the Jan. 21 event, but space is limited and we will accept RSVPs on a first come, first-served basis. The evening will include light refreshments. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by emailing Terry Williams at twilliams@keenesentinel.com.

Many Thanks,

Jack Rooney