by Elizabeth H. Dow
You may have read in the December 20 issue of the Hardwick Gazette that a new non-profit organization, Northeast Kingdom Public Journalism Inc. (NEKPJ), will take ownership of the Hardwick Gazette on January 1, 2024. I sit on the board of directors of that organization, and I’d like to let you know what’s going on.
Ray and Kim Small will publish their last paper on December 27, and the Gazette never publishes in the first week of January. We don’t know what the second week of January will bring.
We have no specific plans at the moment beyond this: we will create a community newspaper. The Hardwick Gazette will survive.
We thank Ray for the valiant struggle he engaged in to keep the Gazette alive in a time of global pandemic and other turbulence. Further, we thank him for the way he has helped us make the transition from his ownership to ours. He has done everything in his power to make the transition go as smoothly as possible, and he has promised to help us as we launch. He doesn’t have to, but he will, and we’re grateful.
Continuing the Gazette will require the effort of many people — most of them reporters. That provides the community part of “community news.”
We also ask for your patience and goodwill.
A minister in Burlington used to end his service with the admonition that parishioners be guided by their faith and not their fears. Clearly that’s what we’re doing, and it’s a little scary. But we must succeed.
Our board president, Jesse Upson, wrote this recently: “The Hardwick Gazette has served our community since 1889, standing as a testament to the enduring importance of local journalism and a free press. This newspaper has been a pivotal part of our community, offering a unique window into the life and times of Hardwick and its surrounding areas for more than 130 years.”
Please help us keep the Gazette going. We have a modest amount of start-up money. If you would like to help the Hardwick Gazette survive, please send a check. Eventually, we’ll have a way you can support us online, but for the moment, we’re relying on snail mail.
