Don’t Let COVID-19 End Our Relationship – Please Donate!
By Ray Gallagher
I have been on deadlines for more than three decades now, from my current 13-year employer, Examiner Media, to the old North County News; with stops at the Bedford-Record, the Putnam County News & Recorder, and the Halston papers along the way. I’ve loved nearly every minute of it, including the friendships I’ve formed with fans, athletes, administrators, teachers and coaches, but I’ve especially loved the final product; the pun-filled, sensationalized back- and front-page headlines, which, I’m told, have made a lot of student athletes’ days, as well as delighted parents and grandparents alike.
Unfortunately, those days could be numbered as small businesses across the globe are smacked in the mouth by this nasty pandemic, COVID-19. We’re all hurting in some form or another right now, including local news outlets like Examiner Media, where I have proudly served as sport editor since 2007. I can’t imagine anyone, outside of maybe Netflix or perhaps Charmin (#DamnHorders), getting a boom from these shelter-in-place directives we are in right now, particularly us imperiled New Yorkers making the best of these makeshift situations.
Staying strong – minus a thick slice of your advertising base – is damn near impossible for a free newspaper like The Examiner, a local weekly that has been committed to your communities, your children, your livelihood… since Day 1. What started out as a small-time newspaper in communities like Pleasantville and Mount Kisco has since grown exponentially — from the City of White Plains to the borders of Dutchess County, our devoted staff covers dozens of school districts and municipalities across two counties, Westchester and Putnam.
Together, we have grown. Together, we will continue to flourish… but this is the only time in our history where OUR needs — those of Examiner Media — cannot be achieved by our merits alone. Local, homegrown journalism cannot sustain this pandemic on its own, relying only on advertising revenue from small businesses. We need whatever modest amount of help you can provide so we can hit the ground running when the powers that be give us the green light to continue chronicling YOUR sports endeavors and providing the memories OUR communities crave.
In 30-plus years I’ve never missed a deadline (#Facts), and I don’t know what to do when I’m not on one, so please hit the link below in an effort to get us “normal” again, so I can continue to dig deep into this twisted psyche to create the headlines you crave, to provide the in-your-face sports coverage you’ve become accustomed to throughout Northern Westchester and all of Putnam County. We need your grassroots support to continue our local news reporting. It’s about the power of community. It’s about the power of YOU, ensuring our lasting relationships. Please donate if you can to our Examiner – COVID-19 Local News Fund: https://givebutter.com/theexaminernews #Thanks!
Ray Gallagher is Examiner Sports Editor. Follow him on Twitter: @Directrays
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.