The Border Chronicle Needs Your Help

The Border Chronicle is 14 months old! And we’ve got plenty to celebrate. We’ve published more than 116 articles, discussion threads, and podcasts since we launched in September 2021. Recently, we surpassed 4,000 subscribers. Thank you to everyone who has subscribed and supported us this far.

But as two independent journalists we still have a long way to go to make The Border Chronicle sustainable so that we can continue.

Our goal is 1,000 paid subscribers, and we hope you can help us get there by the end of December. Right now, we’re at 532 paid subscribers, which has generated nearly $34,000 for The Border Chronicle. This is a good step in the right direction, but not anywhere close to a living wage split down the middle for two writers. Nor is it enough to pay our text editor, Pablo, or our audio editor Lilly.

We know you’re getting a lot of emails like this one right now, but we’re being honest and radically transparent about where we’re at. Running a journalism outlet in 2022 is a little like entering Mad Max’s Thunderdome, under the supervision of Chief Twit, Elon Musk. And our spike-encrusted dune buggy only has two wheels.

So, if you haven’t signed up for a paid subscription, please consider upgrading today. It’s just $6 a month or $60 for a year (a deal!) For instructions on how to convert from a free subscriber to paid click here

Yes, sign me up! If anything, do it for Tina Turner.

And for friends and family we also offer gift subscriptions! Tis’ the season! They can read up on The Border Chronicle’s in-depth reporting before they sit down with their favorite reactionary relative at the dinner table this holiday season. They can tell them why border walls are an awful idea. Let us know how that goes!

And for those who really want to support local journalism and The Border Chronicle in a big way, we have a founding membership for $125 which comes with two additional subscriptions for friends and family, and our eternal thanks.

And for you professors and librarians out there, we also have discounted group subscriptions. Todd will be happy to get on the phone with you or on email to set it up for your classroom or university department. It’s easy!

Right now, paid subscribers get exclusive access to our discussion threads with invited border experts. On Wednesday, November 30, we will have a fascinating discussion on “Wall Sickness”, which will be hosted by Todd, at 8 a.m. MT/10 a.m. EST with international experts who will discuss the biological and neurological impacts of living next to a border wall.

We learned about this fascinating research last month during a conference at the University of Quebec in Montreal where border scholars had gathered from around the world to present their work. Todd and I were invited to be the keynote at the conference where we talked about border journalism and founding The Border Chronicle.

We didn’t know that living next to a border wall could actually change your brain cells, and so we knew this was a topic we needed to bring to the discussion thread for our subscribers.

More on the Horizon in 2023 for Paid Subscribers

In 2023, we also have more offerings planned for paid subscribers, including posts on “Recommended Reads,” with links to articles and books we’re reading about the border, which we think you’ll find interesting.

And, once a month, Todd and I will break down the big issues impacting the border in a podcast. You’ll get to hear our friendly banter, as we debate and hash over topics from Title 42 to border militarization.

And finally, The Border Chronicle’s mission is to make our work as accessible as possible to anyone who wants to read it. We’d like not to have a single thing behind the paywall. Someday, if we can reach sustainability, we’ll do just that. In the meantime, if you’re unable to afford a paid subscription but would like one, just send us an email at theborderchronicle@protonmail.com and let us know—no questions asked —and we’ll be happy to sign you up.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday week. Un abrazo desde Tuscon!

Melissa & Todd