Hi Third Coast readers. Checking in with you today because we know you love Chicago indie media as much as we do. We’re not talking the big dailies or major TV stations. The media that reflect the color and diversity of Chicago itself are the small neighborhood and specialized media where you get your favorite local news about what’s really going on in our town.
Please make a donation by June 11 that fits your budget now to #SaveChicagoMedia. Donate here.
Third Coast Review is one of 43 Chicago indie media that will benefit from your donation. We’re in the last week of our second annual fundraiser conducted by the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA).
Our members are neighborhood media like South Side Weekly, Evanston Roundtable, Cicero Independiente and the Inside Publications that cover North Center, Lincoln Square, Uptown and all the north side neighborhoods. We’re special community media like La Raza, the Polish Daily News, Chicago in Arabic, and Paseo Podcast. You can support media like Injustice Watch, the Invisible Institute, Soapbox Productions, the Daily Line and City Bureau, who cover and investigate Chicago government and politics. You can support e3 Radio and the Windy City Times that address LGBTQ interests. And some of our members cover Chicago’s arts scene, like CHIRP Radio, the Chicago Music Guide, Newcity, Gozamos and Third Coast Review.
You can read all about CIMA and our members—and make a donation—right now at the CIMA website.
Many local media suffered severe losses during the pandemic and the need is even greater than it was last year, when we held our first fundraising campaign. Last year, more than 1,000 individuals donated, with two-thirds opting to support all outlets. You can give to one of us or all of us at savechicagomedia.org.
The website offers the option to donate one amount to be split evenly among all of the outlets, or you can select one or more outlets to give a specific amount. For instance, you can give $43 and we’d each get $1. Or you can donate $43 to your favorite four and we’d each get $10.75. Give a few bucks or give a chunk of bucks—whatever works for you. CIMA was launched in 2019 by the Chicago Reader.
Our 68 partners in the alliance include traditional print newspapers, independently produced podcasts, dynamic video production studios, and nonprofit newsrooms focusing on key issues that affect the fabric of the city. CIMA coordinates revenue projects to assist in strengthening the local media landscape. Our campaign video tells the story; you can also view it in Spanish, Polish, and Arabic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1RGLZOUqU4