We launched The Border Chronicle in 2021 with a local reporting grant from Substack. At the time, we had no idea how to run a news outlet, but we knew that a publication devoted to the U.S.-Mexico border was badly needed. No other region in the United States is more politicized than our southern border. The people who live at the border or migrate through it are often stereotyped in the media and ignored by policymakers.
The local reporting grant ended in 2022, but we kept on going. We took part-time jobs to keep The Border Chronicle alive because we still don’t make a living from this work. With a collective 50 years between us of writing and reporting in the borderlands, we knew there was nothing else like The Border Chronicle. Today, we remain the only independent border-wide publication that provides in-depth news with context and analysis.
At The Border Chronicle, we often say the borderlands are the political testing ground for the rest of the nation. Beginning in 2021, we reported on the dangers of Operation Lone Star, spearheaded by Texas governor Greg Abbott, who portrayed the border as under invasion and invited police and National Guard soldiers from other MAGA-led states to occupy Texas border communities. This model is now being rolled out to Washington, DC, and other states far from the border.
While the borderlands have been used as a testing ground for authoritarianism, the region is also a place where ingenuity and grassroots solutions have flourished—hard-learned lessons that the rest of the country could benefit from. We’ve covered humanitarian groups saving lives and sheltering people displaced by war and climate change, as well as groups organizing for environmental justice against powerful industries.
We want to continue telling these important stories, but we need your help. In the last month, we’ve lost a significant number of subscribers. This happens periodically thanks to what the news industry calls “churn.” Credit cards expire, people forget to renew, or they have it on their to-do list, but that list keeps getting longer.
And let’s be honest. Much of the news is bleak and growing bleaker. Our country is in deep trouble, and the U.S. media landscape has crumbled. Those working journalists who still exist—including us—have had to strike out on our own on platforms like this one.
We know your time is valuable. After our first reader survey, we launched the Friday roundup, where you can catch up on The Border Chronicle’s posts for the week and other important news from across the region. Recently, we’ve also tried Substack’s live video feature in the roundup, where we break down the news for those who prefer to listen or watch.
This year, we’ve been fortunate to work with Pablo de la Rosa in South Texas and Caroline Tracey, who has been doing environmental and arts reporting for us. Their contributions have allowed us to expand our reporting in the region and reach more readers and podcast listeners. Pablo has done phenomenal work documenting Trump’s transfer of public land to the military as his administration turns the southern border into a military zone.
We want to do more of this reporting, and our goal in 2025 is to reach 2,000 paid subscribers, which would allow us to draw a full-time wage from The Border Chronicle. That’s just 773 more paid subscribers needed to reach our goal for this year. Your support will help us keep Pablo and Caroline on staff in 2026 and continue paying our text editor Pablo Morales and our podcast editor Steev Hise. As things progress with this administration, we will need all the help we can get.
A subscription is just $6 a month or $60 a year—a great deal! You’ll not only support independent journalism but also have full access to our archive. Or become a founding member for $150, and we will send you a cool Border Chronicle tote bag and two additional paid subscriptions for friends and family.
Not ready to commit? You can also donate to The Border Chronicle. One hundred percent of the funds will go toward more reporting in the borderlands.
Finally, let’s celebrate! If you’re in Tucson on Thursday, September 25, please join us for our fourth anniversary celebration at Slow Body Brewery from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. The Border Chronicle’s small but mighty staff will be there, so please come by, say hello, and celebrate with us.
As we reflect on our fourth anniversary, we are immensely grateful to our readers and listeners who have made The Border Chronicle possible. Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do this without you!
Un abrazo desde Tucson,
Melissa & Todd
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