When I launched The Flatlander from my kitchen table in November 2021, I felt lightheaded as I hit send on my very first newsletter to just over 100 readers, most of whom were strangers. I wondered if they’d be interested in the Prairie stories I planned to cover, and if they’d be willing to support my vision for this project.
Since then, I’m thrilled to report The Flatlander has taken off! We’ve grown to over 6,000 subscribers; all tapped into taking a closer look at the local stories that shape our lives here in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
From those earliest days, my audience’s support brought tears to my eyes. Readers helped me raise $500 to cover the expenses of a freelancer as he wrote our first in-depth feature (on the hurdles disabled Manitobans and Saskatchewanians face trying to get government assistance).
But I still need your help.
Running a relatively new business requires capital, and an independent journalism business like The Flatlander is no exception — particularly in the current media landscape, where traditional revenue streams are dwindling, and federal grants favour the same old central Canadian news outlets.
Local, independent, in-depth.
Our Prairie stories.
I believe the only way to preserve a strong and independent Prairie media is to invest in it ourselves.
We deserve a homegrown, independent publication to examine our provinces’ issues through a local lens.
We need a publication that understands and appreciates our unique Prairie experiences, and is committed to objectively untangling the complex issues facing Saskatchewan and Manitoba today.
By making a financial contribution to The Flatlander, you can help us keep celebrating the culture and people that unite us here on the Prairies and make us unique — free from the influence of corporate interests in distant boardrooms and their political agendas.
Right now, your contributions to The Flatlander bring in about $700 monthly, which, I am grateful to say, covers our minimum expenses. But this job is a lot of work, and I still need help growing The Flatlander into the high-quality publication we deserve on the Prairies.
And while I’m willing to keep foregoing a salary for now, inflation is really putting the squeeze on me.
Currently, just over 1% of my audience contributes between a dollar and $25 to The Flatlander every month, and about 4% of you have offered one-time donations, ranging from $15 to $150. I am genuinely thankful to each one of you for your generous support.
Now, if just 6% of our readers could pitch in $10 per month, I could pay a part-time reporter fair wages to help me dig into more of our important stories here in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Will you be part of that 6%?
I could put up a paywall, but I believe accurate, unbiased information should be accessible to everyone to combat misinformation and deepen our understanding of each other, especially in the places we call home on the Prairies.
That’s why I’m counting on those who can afford it to step up and support The Flatlander. With your help, we can keep shining a light on the local stories that shape our lives here in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Because our Prairie voices and stories matter.
Thanks for reading, and kind regards,
Kelly-Anne Riess
Founder, The Flatlander
Our Prairie stories matter too.
The Flatlander takes a closer look at the stories that unite us, and make us unique, in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Will you help us tell our stories?
