We’ll continue to cover COVID-19’s effect on South Florida. Your support will help us
Dear Reader,
The news doesn’t slow down.
We’ve just experienced the most consequential presidential election of our lifetime — with an array of state and local elections as well.
Add to that flooding from a tropical weather system that hit at the tail end of a record hurricane season. All amid the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, with a surge in cases in our state and across the nation.
Our news staff at the Miami Herald has been in overdrive not only to tell you what’s happening in real time, but also the stories behind them.
In these uncertain and unprecedented times, I’d like to pause to thank you for supporting the Miami Herald.
If you are a subscriber, thank you.
If you are a business partner, thank you.
If you have donated to our Investigative Journalism Fund, or other fundraising campaigns, we are grateful for your support.
There is a return on your investment in us.
During the election campaigns we backgrounded the candidates and the issues, and also deployed our investigative team to combat disinformation and efforts to suppress the vote.
We created an Ad Decoder to enable you to determine where an ad came from, who paid for it and any other information that might be useful — such as whether ads or their associated websites collect personal data. Additionally, we flagged ads that spread disinformation, used hateful speech, promoted violence, displayed manipulated images, or were linked to foreign attempts to interfere with the election.
We have continued to aggressively report on the coronavirus pandemic, from how and where to get tested to the efforts of families, schools and businesses to stay safe and rebound from the crisis. We investigated the disproportionate impact on minority communities, and how a major nursing home became a COVID hotspot.
Much of this reporting goes beyond breaking news and reflects our continued commitment to accountability journalism. We dive deep in our reporting, delivering answers to questions both asked and anticipated. This work takes time and special expertise, and rarely appears in other local media.
Back in the spring, when the coronavirus shutdown began taking its heaviest economic toll, we asked readers to help backfill a steep loss of advertising revenue that threatened our coverage at the worst possible time. Your support helped to keep our journalists working to produce critical coverage for our readers.
The fact is, we need your help again.
While advertising revenue is improving, it’s not close to being back to where it should be. And yet our state’s need for responsible news coverage remains as critical as ever.
If you see value in what we’re doing every day, and if you can support us, please consider making a donation. Your tax-deductible gift can ensure we continue to report on the coronavirus and all of its impacts across our diverse communities.
We aim to raise $35,000 to keep our reporters digging for information on your behalf, our visual journalists capturing the quintessential images of these times and our editors fine-tuning the work to deliver essential news and information to you. We’ll commit these donations to expanding our enterprise and investigative work.
If you made a donation before, we are truly grateful and hope you will once again. If you have not yet donated, we hope you will do so now.
It’s quick and easy at Givebutter.com/TheMiamiHerald. If you prefer to send a check, you can do that too. Please make it out to the Local Media Foundation and in the notes field on the check, write “Miami Herald.” If you include your email address, they will send you a tax donation letter.
The Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, is a Section 501(c)(3) organization and is eligible to accept charitable contributions.
The check should be mailed to: Local Media Foundation, PO Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689-5015. If you have any problems or questions, contact me at rhirsch@miamiherald.com or 305-376-3504.
Thank you as always for your continued support.
To support the Miami Herald’s Enterprise Reporting Fund, click here.
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 4:44 PM.