I don’t quite remember how I first found The Indypendent back in the spring of 2023: either my mother sent me a link to the website, or I found it on a list of independent local media outlets in New York City. However I found The Indy, I saw in it something I had looked for in many other news outlets to no avail: a freely available, unprecedentedly accessible, newspaper with national and local stories steadfastly reported with an explicitly leftist lens. 

It has been a part of my life ever since. Back in 2023, I was thrilled to be accepted as a summer news intern and get my first taste of on-the-ground reporting that was not for my college newspaper. That summer, I covered Dyke and Queer Liberation March, the Rent Guideline Board’s continuous hikes on tenants, and what impact the demolition and reconstruction of the Chelsea-Elliott and Fulton houses in Manhattan would have on residents. Most of all, I came away with a sense that The Indy, and the dwindling number of journalistic outlets like it, are absolutely vital in New York City’s media landscape, reporting by and for the communities that corporate interests or the wealthy do not consider worthwhile. 

After a year post-grad spent doing various journalism gigs, I was thrilled again when I learned The Indy was looking to hire a new associate editor and I was being considered for the position. 

I started in July, and for the past six months, I have been able to continue the work I grew to respect so much as an intern: covering everything from the plight of deliveristas, to the impacts of SNAP benefit cuts, to a new program making journalism accessible to high schoolers across the five boroughs. Most recently, I wrote the cover story for our 300th issue, about the Union of Pinnacle Tenants and their organizing efforts to get a say in what happens to their homes as their corporate landlord heads into bankruptcy proceedings. 

As associate editor, I’ve also worked to recruit and develop new writers so The Indy can expand our cultural coverage. I have become adept at managing the website so we have updated articles most days. I have watched the paper come together month after month — often from scratch — to shed light on the issues New Yorkers need to hear about from a perspective you simply can’t find in other outlets. 

Recently, we celebrated The Indy’s 25th anniversary, culminating in a celebration gala at a supporter’s home. Seeing so many people, young and old, strangers and those I knew well, coming together to celebrate and commit to supporting many more years of independent journalism with an unapologetic lefty stance was one of the most meaningful moments of my career.

There’s much to look ahead to in the coming year: Zohran Mamdani’s first year as mayor, and the ups and downs it will bring. The escalation of ICE’s cruelty both in New York City and across the country, Israel’s continued genocide in Palestine, universities and corporations’ capitulation to Trump is sure to continue, as will the cowardice of much of the Democratic Party.

The Indy has to be around to cover it all — to ensure that the narratives that will be crafted will not just be by the rich and powerful.

I said it best in the short essay I wrote after my first summer spent at The Indy: “The Indy is not afraid of confronting harsh truths about the presence of corporate giants and corrupt politicians in New York City. But it also does not shy away from highlighting the many people who are doing good work fighting those forces.”

The world would be better off if there were more outlets that took that approach, that were more like The Indy. Please step up and support our winter fund drive so we can keep reporting on injustices for the people explaining them. 

The Indypendent is a New York City-based newspaper and website. Our independent, grassroots journalism is made possible by readers like you. Please consider making a recurring or one-time donation today or subscribe to our monthly print edition and get every copy sent straight to your home.