Crosscut has been around for nearly 15 years, and we’ve been a nonprofit for more than 10 years. During all that time, a lot has changed but our raison d'etre has been constant: To tell stories that you — our readers, viewers and listeners — will find interesting, useful and essential.
The calendar year has just begun but we’re halfway through our fiscal year, which means we are in the process of deciding how to use the resources provided by grants and by supporters like you in the next fiscal year. Now is the perfect time for us to start planning the big new stories we will share with you through the new calendar year and beyond. We want you to help us choose where to focus our reporting resources and storytelling skills.
What questions do you have about things happening in your world that a team of journalists can help you answer?
To help get your ideas flowing, here are a few reminders about what Crosscut specializes in:
- The outdoors and environmental issues throughout the Pacific Northwest
- Washington state arts, artists and culture stories
- Seattle and King County politics
- The state Legislature
- Big education topics
- Equity issues
- Indigenous affairs
We also have a brand new, grant-funded team dedicated to investigating how federal relief and infrastructure funding is being spent in communities throughout the state.
And then there’s our reporter, Mai Hoang, based in Yakima — she reports on these topics specifically with Central Washington in mind – and Maleeha Syed, who covers issues throughout the region with a focus on how they impact communities that are often underrepresented in area news coverage.
That also means we do not cover: breaking news, individual criminal or court incidents or “crime” as a beat, nor do we report on national or international news, unless there’s a strong Washington state or Pacific Northwest connection.
We value holding governments and powerful systems accountable through investigative or watchdog journalism. But we also value telling uplifting or interesting stories, giving you more insight into local history and helping you connect with the music, artists and community institutions in your own neighborhoods.
So, what questions can we try to answer for you this year? What would you love to see in this newsletter, on our website, in our podcasts or through our broadcast arm, KCTS 9, that will make your world a little clearer in 2022? Ask us here or reply to this email.
After we’ve collected your ideas, we’ll share popular topics and themes for you to vote on to give us a better idea of where to put those valuable resources. From there, we’ll keep you posted on what we’re working on and what we’re discovering and learning.
If our work has already been helpful or important to you, please consider supporting our work in 2022 by making a one-time gift of any amount or by becoming a Crosscut supporting member.
