As the news source for Snohomish County, The Daily Herald has a big responsibility to provide local journalism that informs and connects our community. Our work makes the biggest impact when you get involved.

That’s why we’re inviting you to join us in a conversation, discover what we heard, keep informed about how you make a difference and come to our party in October!

Community conversation about housing affordability

Earlier this year, we invited you to talk about access to mental health care at a Herald Forum in May. We heard you want more conversations like that. So we’re hosting a Herald Forum on housing affordability from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in the large meeting room at the Lynnwood Library.

Jon Bauer, the Herald’s editorial page editor, will moderate a discussion with a panel of experts. We hope you’ll join the conversation and bring your questions. The event is free but seating is limited, so register soon at Herald-Forum-Housing.eventbrite.com.

What we heard in the Listening Survey

We asked you in July to tell us what matters most to you by taking our annual Community Listening Survey. Nearly 1,400 subscribers and other Herald readers completed the online questionnaire and provided 1,067 comments.

Nearly half of all those comments had one of three common themes. Coming out on top was gratitude and encouragement for The Herald followed by delivery concerns about the newspaper and then fair and balanced reporting.

Each comment has been read by Phil O’Connor, Herald executive editor, and Rudi Alcott, Herald publisher. That doesn’t mean we’ll act on every single thing you said, but we are listening. And your feedback will inform our journalism going forward.

If you’d like to discover more about what we heard in the 2023 Community Listening Survey, visit heraldnet.com/listening-survey-results.

Community-supported fund makes more environmental reporting possible

The Herald recently hired a new reporter, Ta’Leah Van Sistine, to focus on the environment and how climate change is impacting Snohomish County. Van Sistine’s reporting is made possible because of community support for the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Change Reporting Fund.

Like newspapers across the country that are challenged by changing economic forces to provide all the reporting their communities need, The Herald is seeking one solution with philanthropic support. In partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that acts as our fiscal sponsor, The Herald established the Environmental and Climate Change Reporting Fund. This fund allows individuals, organizations, businesses and foundations to make tax-deductible donations designated to increase our capacity for more coverage on environmental issues.

The Herald maintains editorial control over reporting made possible by our climate reporting fund and all of our news funds. You can learn more about this important community-supported journalism and how you can make a difference at heraldnet.com/local-news-impact.

Come to our party on Oct. 24

You’re invited to join The Herald staff and our community for Behind the News Stories: An Inside Look at Community Journalism from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth St., Edmonds.

This special event is going to be amazing! And it’s your chance to meet new people who care about local journalism, take our trivia quiz, hear some great music, taste some good food, learn something new, and be amazed at our community’s stories.

Registration is free, but you need to act now. Submit your RSVP and learn more at Behind-the-News-Stories-2023.eventbrite.com.

Don’t delay or you could miss out.

Brenda Mann Harrison is the journalism development director for The Daily Herald. To learn more about the impact of local news and how you can join others in supporting community journalism, go to heraldnet.com/local-news-impact, send an email to brenda.harrison@heraldnet.com or call 425-339-3452. The Daily Herald maintains editorial control over content produced through community-funded initiatives.