The South needs public-service journalism
You can help us keep independent news thriving
Dear Reader,
We know that the fates of American democracy and American journalism are entwined — this is especially clear during an election year. And yet, in many places across the U.S., communities are losing news sources and the journalists they once counted on.
Without access to reliable information and insights into what local government officials are doing — not to mention other civically important topics — voter participation declines and corruption often increases.
At The Xylom, we serve as a watchdog in Atlanta, the anchor of one of the fastest-growing Asian American clusters in the nation, to hold those in power accountable. Since we live in the same communities as you, we’re able to provide accurate, nuanced, on-the-ground reporting to help you understand the impacts of elections, legislative actions, and more.
During this election season, we:
Looked at how Georgia was not prepared to vote under extreme weather. (A week after publication, Hurricane Helene made landfall and brought “apocalyptic” rain, forcing election officials in East Georgia and Western North Carolina to declare states of emergency)
Revealed how tracking-related service cuts have affected MARTA Rail almost 80% of the weekends since October 2023, taking nearly 5,500 trains out of service. It’s the canary in the coal mine: suburban Cobb and Gwinnett county voters rejected transit referendums.
And we will continue to provide this type of public service because Election Day is not over yet! Atlanta City Council Post 3 At-Large is set to have a runoff election on December 3rd, with early voting between November 23rd and 27th. Following our investigation, we covered a forum hosted by the Center for Civic Innovation where the two candidates offered measured criticism of MARTA. However, they failed to provide concrete solutions to improve transit capacity and delivery, nor did they distinguish their positions from one another: Eshé Collins rides MARTA only at least once a month, and for Dr. Nicole Evans Jones, the train is just a “major events” affair.
When independent news thrives, so, too, do communities. If this is something you care about, we invite you to support the cause. From now until December 31st, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 36 times or quadruple your one-time gift, up to $1,000. This is a big deal, and we hope we can count on you to help us take advantage of this great opportunity to strengthen our nonprofit newsroom.
Will you support independent journalism — and year-round democracy?
With gratitude,
Alex Ip
Publisher and Editor,
The Xylom
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