Why local news needs you

Happy 2026.

Though we are still in the deepest darkness of the year, someone long ago decided this was the moment to celebrate fresh starts. I have never been much for resolutions. Instead, I use this season to reflect on what is working, what is not and what I want to carry forward. My actual goal-setting usually waits until spring, or February in Texas, when new growth feels more believable.

News organizations, however, don’t get that luxury. Like most businesses, the calendar turns on January 1. As we step into 2026, the Branch Herald is at an important crossroads.

Over the past several months, I have been working quietly with a small but mighty team. That includes a staff of one freelancer, a committed group of volunteers and interns and a league of trusted advisors. Together, we’ve been trying to figure out how to make the Branch Herald sustainable for the long term. I have been reworking our business plan, taking classes through the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin and asking some hard questions about what it would take for the Herald to continue both with and beyond me.

I believe deeply in the value of a free and independent press. I take a long view of this work, long enough to imagine the Branch Herald celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2124. That is well beyond my lifetime, and that is exactly the point. For that future to be possible, the Herald needs not only strong reporting, but also a plan for succession and a financial foundation that supports the people doing the work.

Here is what we are doing well. We consistently cover Farmers Branch city government, local businesses, organizations, and events. We tell the stories of the people who live here and shape our community. We provide candidate questionnaires and forums for local elections. We regularly file Open Records Requests to keep an eye on what our cities are up to behind the scenes. We've created space for interns to explore their interests, grow as writers and see themselves as journalists. That work matters, and I am proud of it.

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There is also more we want to do, and could do, with the right support. We want to strengthen coverage of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, Dallas College and other local schools. We want to expand our reporting in Carrollton and Addison. We want to provide investigative journalism to provide local accountability. We have not published opinion pieces or letters to the editor, not because we do not value them, but because we do not yet have the staffing to manage them responsibly. Too often, we miss covering school or business events simply because there are not enough hours or hands.

Here is the part I owe you clarity on.

Local journalism is harder to fund than I ever imagined. Advertising alone does not cover the cost of reporting. Subscriptions gave me the confidence to take a critical step forward and hire Tasha Young, who has been phenomenal in every way and exactly what we want in a reporter. But growth has not yet caught up with need.

Right now, it takes about 15 new memberships each month to fully support her role. Most of the people who help make the Branch Herald happen are unpaid. I have never taken a salary. That model can work for a season, but it does not build a newsroom that can serve this community for decades.

What this means for you is simple and direct. If the Branch Herald is important to you, I am asking you to help carry it forward.

Membership is currently $7 a month or $60 a year. Our reporting going forward will be free and accessible, because local news should be. Membership is how that reporting remains possible. I am also working to remove past content from the paywall. We are developing additional membership levels and benefits beyond early invitations to events, but those may not be ready until later this spring.

I take a long view of this work. I want the Branch Herald to outlast me and continue telling the story of this community long after I have stepped aside. That kind of future is not built by one person. It is built by a community that decides its stories are worth supporting.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And if you are able, thank you for helping make 2026 a year the Branch Herald can grow into.

Kate Bergeron is the publisher of the Branch Herald.