#MomsNeedNews isn’t a famous hashtag, but it should be. There are so many things to keep track of within a 50-mile radius of our children, that moms need news all the time.
What is happening to our local grocery store? Did the superintendent of schools announce his retirement? Are the red-light cameras fair and is there any way to contest a ticket? Is the new restaurant in town any good? Will the next Little League game be in the rain?
The scary questions, the ones we don’t even want to whisper, concern situations when moms need news the most. Have our neighbors died in a landslide? Did a registered sex offender move in down the street? Is it true there was a school shooting?
We can get some semblance of news on our phone; Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook groups; but none of that replaces bona fide journalism.
That’s why it behooves moms all across Puget Sound to root for KPLU (88.5 FM) in their quest to raise $7 million dollars and save their station from being gobbled up in the sale to KUOW (94.9 FM).
My family listens to KPLU every day. My husband listens to NPR during his commute home from work, my daughter enjoys what she calls “Grandma’s smooth jazz” and my son and I listen to Morning Edition on the way to school. Whenever KPLU quotes “the Herald in Everett” we cheer.
Some of our favorite car trips happen Saturday mornings when we enjoy Sound Effects, KPLU’s weekly tour of the people and places of Puget Sound. When I park the car, the kids beg me to leave the radio running so they can hear the end of the segment. They still talk about the family from Seattle who flew their homemade airplane into the Alaskan wilderness for fun, and the slime mold lady who saw art underfoot.
Moms need news. Dads need news. People without children need news. We all need news because that’s how we create and maintain communities worth living in.
So why on earth would we stand by and watch a valued news organization disappear? These are the reporters who live in our community, not disaster-chasing-out-of-towners who swoop in for major stories.
I know it’s hard for moms to come up with money for one more fundraising campaign. If it was only me listening to a radio station I might keep my wallet closed. But here’s why I am making a pledge to KPLU’s future survival: I am always willing to support an organization that helps my children, and KPLU absolutely helps my kids, not just as a source for news and entertainment, but as part of local journalism that makes Puget Sound a safer place to live.
Fifty years from now I want my children to live in a world where quality journalism thrives. Newspaper subscriptions matter, and so does a community-owned and operated local public radio station.
KPLU, we need you.
Jennifer Bardsley lives in Edmonds. Her book “Genesis Girl” comes out Sept. 27. Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, Twitter @jennbardsley or at teachingmybabytoread.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.