CORTLAND, N.Y. — Wow, it's been an incredible six months.
In June 2015, we launched The Cortland Voice with the clear mission of providing free, in-depth, timely and hyperlocal journalism available online to the city of Cortland and Cortland County.
While I certainly had high hopes that the site would succeed, I could not have anticipated how quickly this tiny news operation would generate widespread interest and support from the local community.
Whether its our coverage of the ash for trash proposal, profiles of local businesses or the debate over a new jail, our readers have expressed interest in a wide range of topics and stories. With your support, we can continue to provide the kind of crucial, in-depth journalism that both holds local officials accountable and showcases what makes this community so unique.
I cannot overstate how grateful I am to the Cortland community for embracing this budding news product, and I am proud to call Cortland my new home.
With that in mind, I can say with confidence that The Cortland Voice is here to stay.
Donate to The Cortland Voice
The rapid success of this small media outlet has been both welcoming and surprising, but we still need your help.
That's why, today, we're launching a one-week fundraising campaign that we believe will help support our news-gathering operation, benefit local businesses and save you money.
Here's how it works:
1 – Donate $10 to support The Cortland Voice's critical journalism about Cortland County.
2 – In exchange, we'll give you either:
A) $20 in store credit for any purchase at The Finger Lakes Tasting Room; or
B) $20 for any purchase of the spring season at The Center for the Arts of Homer.
3 – That's it: No restrictions!
While we benefit from the work of several college interns and some logistical support from The Ithaca Voice, the Cortland Voice is largely a one-person operation. Your donation will be used to help grow our business, find financial stability and expand our reporting team.
At the end of the campaign, we'll send you an email with a special coupon code. The businesses will be ready to grant the store credit to all donors as soon as the fundraiser ends on Dec. 21 – just in time for your Christmas shopping!
We hope to run similar campaigns in the future with participating local businesses. Stay tuned.
Peter Blanchard
Editor | The Cortland Voice
