Writing some year-end checks or clicking some online buttons to make charitable contributions? Please consider The Rural Blog's publisher, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. Our online donation site is here.
No one else does what we do: a daily digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism, from and about rural America, to thousands of rural journalists who want to look beyond the county line and help their audiences understand broader issues and how they affect them.
At a time when some people question the very concept of independent journalism, the institute takes opportunities to explain, defend and promote it. One example is our bumper sticker that makes the point that someone has to pay for journalism. In The Rural Blog, we write about the challenges facing community newspapers and journalism, including ways to explain and defend the profession.
Some of our contributors make donations in honor of those who helped them in their careers. Sheila Hagar of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin donated in honor of her high-school journalism teacher, Darrell Gomsrud. "He really believed in me," she wrote. "He walked our class through Watergate in a completely unbiased way. He bought me books about writing. When I worked on the school paper (co-editor in my junior year), Mr. Gomsrud taught me I should expect to be treated with equality. When I wrote fiery op-eds, he gave me fair warning of the reaction I could expect. When I got what I asked for, he told me no tears allowed for those able to put their opinions in front of readers. He retired just before my own kids got to high school and I was devastated." When she made the gift in his honor, the University of Kentucky notified him, and he wrote Hagar a letter of thanks, saying "I assure you that many readers enjoy your writing and trust your byline." She told us, "I'm not sure any award could be sweeter."
The institute's work is only partly supported the university. We're able to publish The Rural Blog because we have an endowment that generates money for year-round travel, programming and a half-time assistant. But we rely increasingly on gifts that go directly into our operating budget of about $200,000 a year, so we need your support. Please give here.
The institute does much more than the blog; it serves as a resource for rural journalists all over the country and for metropolitan journalists doing rural stories; conducts seminars and workshops on covering issues, most recently on substance abuse; conducts research on rural journalism; makes presentations at national and state news-organization meetings and universities; does an "Into the Issues" column for the National Newspaper Association and state press associations; co-sponsors with Investigative Reporters and Editors a fellowship to IRE's Data Journalism Boot Camp (for 2020, in March and August); presents the annual Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism; co-hosts the hotline of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and stands up for the essential role of journalism in democracy.
Some of our contributors make donations in honor of those who helped them in their careers. Sheila Hagar of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin donated in honor of her high-school journalism teacher, Darrell Gomsrud. "He really believed in me," she wrote. "He walked our class through Watergate in a completely unbiased way. He bought me books about writing. When I worked on the school paper (co-editor in my junior year), Mr. Gomsrud taught me I should expect to be treated with equality. When I wrote fiery op-eds, he gave me fair warning of the reaction I could expect. When I got what I asked for, he told me no tears allowed for those able to put their opinions in front of readers. He retired just before my own kids got to high school and I was devastated." When she made the gift in his honor, the University of Kentucky notified him, and he wrote Hagar a letter of thanks, saying "I assure you that many readers enjoy your writing and trust your byline." She told us, "I'm not sure any award could be sweeter."
The institute's work is only partly supported the university. We're able to publish The Rural Blog because we have an endowment that generates money for year-round travel, programming and a half-time assistant. But we rely increasingly on gifts that go directly into our operating budget of about $200,000 a year, so we need your support. Please give here.
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