Democracy can not function without independent watchdog journalism shining a light on what’s happening politically. When that light is not bright and broad it allows extremism to grow and spread like a fungus in the darkness. For the last few decades local media has largely ignored the growing radicalization of the Bucks County Republican Party’s grassroots base, or at worst it platformed it in order to launder its image and mainstream it. Part of this was due to ideological reasons, though it also has to do with the gutting of local newsrooms – a trend happening not just here but across the country.
The Bucks County Beacon is encumbered by neither. We are growing, and it’s our mission to shine a light on right-wing extremism, while also highlighting progressive voices and organizing traditionally marginalized or ignored by Bucks County’s two daily newspapers.
But we need our readers to invest in us so that the Bucks County Beacon is here for the long haul.
We have expanded our news and analysis with writers like Jenny Stephens, Lela Casey, Catherine Caruso, Pat LaMarche, and Peter Greene.
Edie Weinstein just launched in February a monthly Bucks County Changemakers Q&A.
Jenny Cohn continues to shine a light on white Christian nationalism and other mutations of right-wing extremism.
And of course we have our ever growing list of progressive voices from Bucks County and across Pennsylvania writing for us, that includes Kadida Kenner, Kevin Leven, Kiertsyn Zolfo, Barbara Simmons, Steve Nolan, Steve Cickay, Molly Parzen, Alisa Shargorodsky, Michael Gambone, Emily French, Amy Knecht, Stephanie Barnett Jamison, William Horne, and scores of others.
We also use our social media as a reporting tool which helps get the story out.
We’ve even launched a podcast called The Signal produced by Bucks County’s Kevin Mahoney of Raging Chicken Media! Here’s Episode 2 where I speak with Maurice Cunningham about the Dark Money and (extremist) parent props infiltrating school boards and trying to destroy public education.
Journalism is a public good that plays a critical role in promoting a healthy and civil society. As we find ourselves in the most uncivil times, at least in my lifetime, the public investing in independent media has never been more urgent. By contributing just $10 per month, you can help us cover the stories that matter and support a healthy democracy and a progressive future in Bucks County and beyond. Our current monthly supporters cover less than 10% of our monthly operating costs, and we need that to increase to ensure that we continue beyond this year.
Together, we can continue this participatory, progressive independent media project to ensure that our community has access to the news and information it needs.
Here’s some of our recent original reporting!
