EDITORIAL: Ten years in, we need your help

What was the Triad like 10 years ago?

That was before the pandemic, before Urban Loop opened, before the Salem Parkway was completed through downtown Winston-Salem, before High Point had a downtown ballpark.

Ten years ago, there were only five breweries in the Triad, the Folk Fest had not yet happened and Slappy’s Chicken was just an abstract idea in Scott Brandenburg’s mind.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves by a couple weeks, but the end of this month marks Triad City Beat’s 10-year anniversary. And we’re just as shocked as you are.

In that time, we’ve put out more than 500 newspapers — we switched to every other week in August 2023 — and published more than 8,000 stories.

Not all of them hit home. Many of our calls for justice went unanswered, our pleas for mercy unheard. 

But some of them… some of them moved mountains.

We’ve revealed sexual predators and grifters in our midst, called attention to victims of shortsighted city plans, exposed bad candidates before they gained purchase.

More than that, we’ve painted an accurate portrait of our cities as they’ve evolved, warts and all, that future generations can look to when they want to know what was really going on in the Triad during these tumultuous years.

Over the years, the bylines have changed, but the mission remains the same: To tell the truth without fear or favor, to ask the questions our readers need answered, to shine our light on those corners that most need illuminating.

And we do it all for free. That has always been part of the plan.

But it costs a lot of money to put out free news. And for the first eight years of our existence, we were operating under a failed business model. It is impossible to fund the paper that our readers deserve through advertising sales alone.

So we’ve diversified our revenue: advertising, sure, but also sponsored content and newsletters; we started a ticketing platform and a reader-revenue program, both of which help keep us afloat; and we’ve begun accepting tax-deductible donations through a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation.

Now, 10 years in and at the cusp of a terrifying election season, we’re asking you to pitch in. We’re raising funds — $23,500 — to help us cover the 2024 Election and beyond. Follow this link to learn more.