Dear reader,

The Sun Herald needs your help.

Coronavirus has brought unanticipated and significant challenges to our families and our communities. And how we respond to this pandemic is the biggest story of our lives.

At the Sun Herald, we feel a responsibility to ensure we share the full picture with you.

Our team published hundreds of stories in March and April, plus videos and newsletters. Much of this reporting goes beyond breaking news and reflects the enterprising journalism we have consistently produced for years. We dive deep in our reporting, delivering answers to questions both asked and anticipated. This is the kind of work that rarely appears in other local media.

We are grateful we can be here for you.

And like you, we are stressed. About our health and our ability to do our work. The pandemic has brought layoffs, furloughs and salary reductions to newsrooms large and small. We’re fighting like mad to hold the line, like many local businesses, and so far we’ve done so thanks to your readership and support via page views and subscriptions, both digital and print.

But it’s a steep hill, and we’re thinking creatively about how to climb it.

We’ve had a lot of in-depth and breaking news stories surrounding the pandemic.

Justin Mitchell, for example, was the first to get a scoop on two Carnival cruise ship employees who broke rules and left the quarantine boat while docked in Gulfport.

Staff writer Anita Lee wrote an analysis story that expressed the frustrations of trained professionals about Gov. Tate Reeves’ decision to leave businesses open.

Margaret Baker confirmed one of the first cases of coronavirus on the Coast was a Hancock County woman who had recently been on a Disney cruise.

If you see value in what we’re doing every day, and if you can support us, please help us bridge this gap. My news colleagues will be the direct beneficiaries of your help.

Your tax-deductible gift can ensure we continue to report on the coronavirus and all of its impacts across our communities. We aim to raise $50,000 to keep our reporters reporting, our videographers recording and our editors at work delivering essential news and information.

With help from the Local Media Foundation, your gift goes directly to ensuring sustainability for the Sun Herald and continued accountability reporting as we navigate this critical time. Not to the bottom line, but directly to the newsroom.

The Sun Herald - COVID-19 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association. LMF is raising funds for educational activities; specifically, to educate the public on COVID-19 issues. LMF is providing funds to this news organization and many others to support this important educational project. All money raised by this effort will go directly to support COVID-19 reporting, to make sure the public has essential facts on this important topic.

The Sun Herald Coronavirus Reporting Fund

Support local journalists as they cover how our lives are changed during coronavirus