When Another Journalist Notices, It Matters

J.C. Bruce’s shoutout to Above the Fold is a reminder of why independent local journalism matters.

J.C. Bruce — Above the Fold subscriber — and Reporter/Editor/Publisher at Tropic Press.

There are few things more meaningful to a journalist than recognition from another journalist who understands what it takes to do the work.

That made J.C. Bruce’s recent shoutout to Above the Fold particularly gratifying.

Bruce, a longtime journalist, author and columnist whose work Above the Fold has shared with readers at Tropic Press, took notice of what we have been building in the Florida Keys: a small, independent newsroom committed to timely, public-interest reporting.

That is what Above the Fold was created to do.

“Newsrooms are shrinking, experienced reporters are disappearing and stories that once received routine coverage increasingly go unreported. Yet the decisions being made at City Hall and elsewhere remain consequential.

When I was at the Herald—admittedly many years ago—the paper could be found in news racks all over the state—it was Florida’s largest paper and nationally recognized, referred to in the same breath as The New York Times and Washington Post.

The downtown Miami newsroom was sprawling, employing hundreds of reporters, photographers, artists and editors. The paper’s Broward County bureau alone was larger than most other newspapers in the state.

Now that same legendary news organization has fewer than 60 editorial staff members left?

You can’t properly cover a metropolis like Miami with a newsroom that small. It’s a shame.

It also speaks to why we are seeing independent news outlets pop up all over the state and nation.

Reporters like Ted Lund in Key West, who single-handedly does what an entire newspaper staff used to do, watching over City Hall and county government with relentless coverage.”

— J.C. Bruce, Tropic Press

That is where the work comes in: covering breaking news, attending government meetings, reviewing budgets and contracts, filing public-records requests, examining court and police records and following stories beyond the first headline.

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It also means asking difficult questions and giving readers the information they need to draw their own conclusions.

Bruce’s recognition is appreciated. But Above the Fold exists because readers have decided this kind of coverage is worth supporting.

Support Above the Fold

If you value the work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Subscriptions are $8 a month or $80 a year and help pay for public-records research, document review, reporting expenses, travel and the newsroom technology that allows us to get stories to readers faster.

If you do not want to be tied to a recurring subscription, consider making a one-time contribution to the Above the Fold Newsroom Fund instead. Every contribution helps put resources directly into reporting.

And, as always, please like, share and subscribe across social media. Sharing our work is one of the easiest ways to help Above the Fold reach more readers throughout Key West and the Florida Keys.

Oh, and about J.C. Bruce and the Tropic Press? I am a subscriber. You should be, too.

Above the Fold — Local News when it happens. Not when it is convenient.

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