We started 2020 with a major transition from our long-time broadcast partnership to become an independent newspaper business, owned by the same company that launched the Dayton Daily News more than 120 years ago. This would have been challenge enough, but one week into our official new business, the pandemic hit. Within days, advertising revenue plummeted as businesses shut down and events were cancelled; many reporters and editors shifted to working from home; we dramatically changed the processes for newspaper delivery to keep carriers and customers safe; and we launched an all-encompassing effort to provide vital, essential information to help you and this community find a way through what would become a year-long pandemic. Of course, more major events followed – a reckoning over police and race and the social justice movement it launched, and an election season in which systems and processes changed drastically and deep polarization fractured relationships and bonds. Through it all, we’ve never let up, and neither has this community.
All year the Dayton Daily News has provided incredible local journalism – unique, important coverage that no other media outlet came close to:
- A daily coronavirus e-mail, daily coronavirus e-paper and daily coronavirus in-paper tracker, all with the most up-to-date information on the virus and its spread
- Investigations into how local communities and area businesses complied with state and local public safety orders
- Inspirational stories of those on the front lines – health-care workers, teachers and so many others who have faced this test with courage and grace
- Eyewitness coverage as residents took to the streets in more than 30 of our local communities to protest racial inequality, as well as insightful examinations of racial inequality in our region
- The most comprehensive election coverage, including every local race and issue, plus unique investigations into things like how prepared the local postal system and boards of elections were for the changes in how people would vote
- Daily stories of local people, businesses and institutions making a difference
- Community Conversations, which brought experts and community leaders to the table to talk about the local impact of these events, to find solutions and common ground and to give you the opportunity to ask – and get answers – to the most pressing issues facing our community.
Our commitment to this community goes beyond stories. We also used our reach and influence to help local nonprofits stay afloat, providing nearly $1 million in promotional space, free of charge, for more than 70 local nonprofits. The Cox Foundation, which has given millions of dollars to this community over the years, came through again with $25,000 to The Foodbank Inc. and another $25,000 to the House of Bread. And through our Valley Food Relief effort, you have so far donated more than $100,000 to help the hungry right here in our community. That campaign continues through Jan. 10, so if you haven’t donated yet, please take a minute to do so at daytondailynews.com/foodrelief/ .
We are devoted to this community. It is our home, it’s our place of business, it’s our past, and it’s our future. We believe 2021 will bring its own challenges and opportunities, and we have plans to increase local news coverage, to double-down on investigative work and to continue the powerful Community Conversations program. We will need your continued support as we provide the essential journalism that matters to this community. Thank you for your loyalty and support through this extraordinary year. Together, we will face the challenges of 2021. You can count on the Dayton Daily News.
Jana Collier
Publisher, Dayton Daily News
