It’s Giving Tuesday. Consider donating to The Daily Orange to ensure we can continue to produce stories.

Dear readers,

This Giving Tuesday, The Daily Orange is launching a month-long fundraising campaign focused on one cause and one cause only: paying the students who create this journalism.

Nearly 50% of D.O. staffers worked at least one additional job last semester, and more than 10% worked at least 15 hours per week on top of countless hours of writing, editing and producing for The D.O. And, of course, this is all in addition to classwork.

If you’re reading this letter, you know how indispensable The D.O. is to the Syracuse community. But if we can’t pay students enough, it is reflected in the work we create.

Year after year, we make it a goal to expand the diversity of our newsroom. But the reality is that it would be impossible until we can provide adequate support to student journalists, no matter their background or financial status.

Most students don’t work at The D.O. to make money. In fact, many apply without realizing it’s a paying job. Many Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF students are missing out on the opportunity to tell stories that matter — stories that can change lives, and help you better understand our community — because they cannot afford to work in a job they assume does not pay.

We’ve set a goal to raise $15,000 this December. Every dollar will go toward paying students in 2022.

That’s why we need support from you. More than anyone, you understand the importance of student journalism. Without our students, who knows if the website you’re viewing would exist. The students who run this newsroom give their all to The D.O. We must return the favor.

We want staff salaries to be something we can celebrate. We want to draw students in, not push them away. We want prospective staff members to apply to The D.O. knowing they won’t have to work additional jobs to get by. This Giving Tuesday, your donation will help us achieve these goals.

To make a donation in support of staff salaries, please visit dailyorange.com/donate.

Thank you for your support,

Emily Steinberger, editor-in-chief 2021-22
Mandy Kraynak, managing editor 2021-22

Published on November 30, 2021 at 12:07 am