Donate to TucsonSentinel.com

Give today to the solid, reliable journalism that is the bedrock of our democracy, and help underwrite your local nonprofit news site: the independent TucsonSentinel.com!

Subscribe and stretch your donation over time:

$10/mo. Cub Reporter
$15/mo. Printer's Devil
$20/mo. Stringer
$40/mo. Correspondent
$50/mo. Senior Correspondent
Enter your own monthly amount (number only)

Or give a secure one-time gift with PayPal or your credit card:

$5,000 Newshound
$2,500 Trusted Source
$1,000 Copy Desk Chief
$500 Correspondent
$250 Stringer
$100 Printer's Devil
$50 Cub reporter
$25 Informed Source
$10 Dear Reader
Enter your own amount (below)

Right here, you can become a member of our WATCHDOG CLUB group of supporters — with a variety of donation options — and you'll get:

• Special members-only email updates
• Invitations to member coffees and happy hours with Sentinel journalists
• Advance notice and special tickets for TucsonSentinel.com events
• Invitations to special VIP donor events
• TucsonSentinel.com's mission-driven nonprofit reporting available for everyone to read
• The knowledge that you're helping TucsonSentinel.com report the most accurate news about meaningful events in Southern Arizona

WHY SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS RIGHT NOW?

With the challenges we face as a community, and the heated partisan rhetoric about which set of "facts" to believe, there's never been a more urgent need for independent, transparent and vigilant local reporting. Give your today to invest in TucsonSentinel.com's award-winning authentically local news for 2021, 2022 & beyond.

Since our founding a decade ago, you've come to rely on our reporting. A lot of Southern Arizonans have. No one covers local politics, public policy and border and immigration issues with the same skill, integrity and understanding as we do.

Local nonprofit independent media outlets like ours face significant challenges. We frankly struggle with resources and could certainly use another couple of capable reporters digging into what goes on in this town. Tucson needs that.

It takes a lot of energy and scrappiness to uphold the high quality of our reporting.

And it takes money. Our staff are talented professionals, some with decades of experience in investigative and community journalism. And maintaining our computers, website, cameras, replacing worn-out shoe leather and putting gas in trucks for trips through the desert adds to our costs.

To make things work, we rely on donations from readers like you. That's why TucsonSentinel.com needs your help with a tremendous opportunity.

Sentinel welcomes our new IDEA reporter: Bennito L. Kelty

A new fulltime journalist is digging into government accountability and social equity in Southern Arizona, with support from TucsonSentinel.com's readers and the national Report for America program. Bennito L. Kelty has signed on to be our IDEA reporter.

Beginning in June, he's covering issues of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Access while upholding the Sentinel tradition of watchdog journalism. Bennito has already made his mark with the Sentinel, reporting important election stories and translating work into Spanish. And now we're able to bring him aboard full time with the backing of Report for America — and help from readers like you!

"I'm excited and honored to now have the responsibility of serving Tucson as a Report for America corps member," Bennito said.

The Sentinel was among 64 newsrooms across the United States, picked from hundreds of applying news organizations, to join the RFA program this year. Bennito, a graduate of the acclaimed Missouri School of Journalism, is among the more than 140 journalists of color selected to be in this cohort of about 300 reporters across the country.

These reporting positions come at a critical moment, when many local newsrooms are closing or cutting back — leaving a vacuum of trusted, accurate information that is being filled by partisan news sites and online disinformation that threaten our democracy.

RFA pays for a portion of the salary of each member of its reporting corps, with local communities picking up the remainder of the cost. The program carefully vets applicants — both newsrooms and reporters — ensuring that it's backing expanded reporting in places where it is needed most.

Report for America will fund a portion of the his salary; the Sentinel must cover the remainder of his pay and associated reporting expenses with financial contributions from our community. You can become a member of the Watchdog Club, and help fund this reporting position and the Sentinel's vital independent journalism.

A smarter Tucson is a better Tucson

Keeping Tucson well informed is an important factor in the overall well-being of our community.

The Sentinel's accountability journalism and celebration of Tucson's unique culture has gained respect not just locally, but across the country — that's why we're among the leaders in the growing movement to rebuild local journalism from the ground up (I'm one of the founders of Local Independent Online News Publishers, a national educational nonprofit).

Tax-deductible, too

Because TucsonSentinel.com is a nonprofit news organization, any donation you make is also fully tax-deductible.

Subscribe and stretch your donation over time:

$10/mo. Cub Reporter
$15/mo. Printer's Devil
$20/mo. Stringer
$40/mo. Correspondent
$50/mo. Senior Correspondent
Enter your own monthly amount (number only)

Or give a secure one-time gift with PayPal or your credit card:

$5,000 Newshound
$2,500 Trusted Source
$1,000 Copy Desk Chief
$500 Correspondent
$250 Stringer
$100 Printer's Devil
$50 Cub reporter
$25 Informed Source
$10 Dear Reader
Enter your own amount (below)

Want to mail a check instead of donating online? Please make it payable to "Tucson Sentinel" and send to: 1960 N. Painted Hills, Tucson AZ 85745. Thanks!

Fighting fake news with real reporting

Please join with your fellow readers and support TucsonSentinel.com. We'll put your dollars to work holding politicians accountable, reporting the untold stories of the borderlands, and bringing you and the rest of Southern Arizona nonpartisan independent news without the spin.

It's with your help that Sentinel journalists have repeatedly been named among the best in the state — with senior reporter Paul Ingram winning two first place awards for photojournalism from the Arizona Press Club, along with several other awards for photography, and immigration reporting. Columnists Jim Kiser and Blake Morlock went 1-2 in the community column/opinion writing category, and Sentinel Editor & Publisher Dylan Smith was named third in the Arizona Community Journalist of the Year contest (in which Ingram was named the overall winner last year), along with awards for investigative reporting, public safety journalism and headline writing.

TucsonSentinel.com does reporting that no one else is tackling.

And it's because of the backing of our sponsors and readers that the Sentinel was named among the top local news websites in the United States for last year! We were named as a finalist for three national journalism awards, the Local Independent Online News Publishers group announced, including LION Publisher of the Year, as well as Best Breaking News Coverage for a small publisher and Technology Innovation of the Year, an award sponsored by Facebook.

We have big plans to expand our reach, deepen our reporting, and increase the impact of authentically local news throughout the next year — but we need your help right now.

But, simply put, without you and your donation, the stories that make us all smarter, wiser and more rounded citizens may go untold. Your gift right now will advance our mission of delivering tough watchdog reporting in the public interest.

Please join with your fellow readers and support TucsonSentinel.com. We'll put your dollars to work holding politicians accountable, reporting the untold stories of the borderlands, and bringing you and the rest of Southern Arizona nonpartisan independent news without the spin.

We count on readers like you to help us pursue these important stories. If you value what we're doing and want to see TucsonSentinel.com continue and grow, please make your tax-deductible gift today! »

If you've already donated, thanks so much for your support. If you haven't yet, please join recent donors like Edna Gray, Bill Roe, Beth Borozan, Elizabeth Cherry, David Schaller, Inez Savage, Newt & Sunny Ashby, Tom Volgy, Simon Rosenblatt, Joni Jones, Andrew Quigley and so many more, and give your gift today! Just use the simple form in the sidebar.

Here's what's scary

With the challenges we face as a community, and the heated partisan rhetoric about which set of "facts" to believe, there's never been a more urgent need for independent, transparent and vigilant local reporting. And sadly, chain media outlets run by companies headquartered thousands of miles away have demonstrated that they're not going to invest more in our town. They're just going to continue to cut.

You may not know that there are hundreds of journalists who are no longer reporting, just right here in Tucson, compared to just more than a decade ago. There are only about half as many newspaper journalists in this country than a decade ago. Layoffs and shutdowns at chain newspapers and TV stations mean there are many fewer watchdogs looking out for us than a decade ago. Across the country, there are tens of thousands of reporters who've been laid off — many just this year alone. Even as our community is growing, our press is shrinking dramatically.

That's why it's even more important to have journalism here that's invested in the success and future of this community.

And it's why we have big plans to expand our reach, deepen our reporting, and increase the impact of authentically local news this year and next — but we need help from the community right now.

I know an informed community is important to you, and that you understand the consequences when watchdogs lose their teeth and are muzzled. We can't make wise decisions as a community without having solid, relevant information. That requires a healthy press — and that requires readers who recognize the value we deliver in making everyone in this town a little bit smarter.

We're committed to making quality news accessible; we'll never set up a paywall or charge for our site. But we rely on your support to bring you, your neighbors and everyone else in Southern Arizona independent news without the spin.

Thanks for reading, and for your support of quality, nonprofit, nonpartisan local reporting.

cheers,

Dylan Smith

Editor & Publisher
TucsonSentinel.com

Subscribe and stretch your donation over time:

$10/mo. Cub Reporter
$15/mo. Printer's Devil
$20/mo. Stringer
$40/mo. Correspondent
$50/mo. Senior Correspondent
Enter your own monthly amount (number only)

Or give a secure one-time gift with PayPal or your credit card:

$5,000 Newshound
$2,500 Trusted Source
$1,000 Copy Desk Chief
$500 Correspondent
$250 Stringer
$100 Printer's Devil
$50 Cub reporter
$25 Informed Source
$10 Dear Reader
Enter your own amount (below)

P.S.

Journalism is a vital public service in a democracy. Investigative reporting uncovers injustice, exposes corruption and holds officials accountable. Community reporting celebrates the unique nature of Tucson's people, reflecting our sense of place through a knowing lens.

We aim to provide both: to point out the things we all love about Southern Arizona, and point to possible solutions for what needs changing. We believe that just as an unexamined life is not worth living, an unexamined city is not worth living in. A smarter Tucson is a better Tucson.

But insightful reporting doesn't come free. Make your gift today — you may make a one-time contribution, or sign up for a monthly subscription that supports nonpartisan reporting year-round.

Just one more thing:

Do us a huge favor and help spread the word about TucsonSentinel.com by telling your friends and family about us, and why you believe truly independent local news is so vital. Thanks!