A letter from Staff Reporter Ryan DiLello
November 28, 2023
Dear Somerville Wire readers,
My name is Ryan DiLello and I am the sole staff reporter for the Somerville Wire. I’m reaching to thank you for a wonderful year in journalism and to ask that you consider donating to the Somerville Wire on this Giving Tuesday.
The Somerville Wire’s mission is to facilitate meaningful dialogue and truth-telling among the people of Somerville. In a phrase, “to help the community talk to itself.” This year, we saw incredible momentum in that direction as our audience exceeded 3,000 regular readers. Thank you for sharing our stories on social media, contributing to thoughtful conversations on Reddit, participating in interviews, and reading my writing. You make our work possible.
Reflecting on this year, I am particularly proud of the engagement and support we received from different interest groups and communities on a variety of issues.
- Hardworking unions helped inform impactful coverage of hiring practices in Union Square and delayed contract negotiations with City employees.
- Artists, of all kinds, spoke to us about the ongoing Armory operations redesign, how gentrification threatens creative people and spaces, events like PorchFest, and what is and isn’t art.
- School officials and parents were crucial in providing information on the Winter Hill School plans for redevelopment, its unexpected closure, and its future amidst the K-8 master plan.
- Small businesses also picked up the phone to discuss successes, losses, and changes.
- Social workers provided a ground-level understanding of the city’s homelessness crisis while city councilors framed what has to change.
Your tax-deductible donations keep the Somerville Wire running. We’re planning an ambitious 2024 with a diversified editorial program and new publication and distribution methods. But with funds running low, the future of the Wire is uncertain. So, any contribution you can give today will really help us better serve Somerville with solid journalism on issues of importance to you, the people that live and work here.
Have a great holiday season and thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Ryan DiLello
Staff Reporter
Somerville Wire
The Somerville Wire—an initiative of the Somerville Media Fund, Inc.—is a web-based news service covering Somerville, Massachusetts. Its content is produced by professional journalists, Somerville residents and workers, and Somerville Media Fund and Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism interns. All articles published on the Wire are available for republishing by independent community news outlets for free—and by larger commercial news outlets and chains for a fee.
