In 10 days, The Indy will celebrate our seventh anniversary.

When a small group of us started this adventure in nonprofit journalism around a kitchen table in Carson City, we had no idea. No idea if this leap of faith would last. No idea how hard it would be. No idea how rewarding it would be. No idea.

But we have survived, soldiering through a pandemic, and as we enter Indy 8.0, there is much to celebrate but also much to ponder. I believed when we started that there was a yearning out there for the kind of nonpartisan, in-depth reporting this dedicated and talented staff has provided.

We have not only nearly quadrupled our staff, but hundreds of thousands of people come to our site every month — Google Analytics tells me we had a 60 percent increase in 2023 over 2022. I beam with pride every day at how embedded we have become in the fabric of Nevada, how many people read us, trust us, donate to us.

But, I must admit, I am worried. Worried about the future of democracy. Worried about the future of journalism. And, yes, worried about the future of The Indy.

Some team members have left recently who we can't immediately replace. We need more donors, and we'll be taking ads soon for the first time to shore up our revenue. We're also taking a critical, top-to-bottom look at our organization and how we can better fulfill our mission.

All of us in this business need to adapt or die. You have seen the headlines about news organizations laying off people. Almost no one in the for-profit or nonprofit sector has been immune to economic vicissitudes. But I still believe in the cause, and I know people will support us if we show them why it is important. Show, not tell, which is too often what we in the media do, which is talk down to our readers.

I understand why people don’t trust the media at times. I understand, but chafe at The Validation Culture that induces people to consume only what confirms. I understand why people might not see value in giving to a nonprofit journalistic enterprise when there are so many other worthy beneficiaries.

But journalism being at risk is inextricably related to democracy being at risk. Unless readers trust what they are imbibing, they will spit it out. And if they only have faith in what their leaders and their enablers are telling them, they will believe falsehoods such as that the 2020 election was stolen. And once a majority of people believe their vote doesn’t count, the end is nigh.

I believe it’s our job to make sure that does not happen. Our mission must be to hold public officials accountable for their words and deeds and help people understand an increasingly chaotic and too-often-indecipherable world. So, with that baseline, let me say a few words about 2024, The Indy and sustainability:

— I have already told you that I am taking on a dual role. But being CEO and editor is what I was doing when The Indy began, so it is not new for me. (It may age me even faster, but I can’t get much grayer…)

So what does that really mean? Internally, I am more involved in the day-to-day, and I plan to talk more to sources and write columns again. But externally, you won’t see much change at all.

I have a great team of editors who are on top of it and I generally need their help more than they need mine. I expect that with a highly charged election year coming, I will become a lightning rod for some — I have a long paper trail and I still have an opinion or two. But The Indy is not me, and I am not The Indy.

— As CEO, the challenges are steep. Our budget is smaller this year. I wish it were not so, but I have to deal with the universe as it is not as I wish it were. I have faith in our revenue team, and I believe the support will get even more robust and that a year from now, I will be singing a much happier tune.

But the price of journalism, of democracy, is not cheap. We need your help, so whatever you can afford, especially a regular monthly donation, is much appreciated and needed.

Partly for financial reasons, and partly because I have been stubborn for too long, we will begin taking ads on the site, including political and campaign ads. We will reserve the right to reject any submission, but it strikes me as silly to think taking six figures from a casino company is any different than taking an ad for a candidate. Neither influences us a whit, and our coverage will speak for itself.

Our award-winning website is one of the cleanest and user-friendly in journalism, and that will not change. But we need more revenue, and I think taking ads will be a big boon for us. If you want to advertise on the site, please email Brett Burke at [email protected].

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of you who have donated to The Indy or sponsored events for us. Your support has been and will continue to be vital to our success. We depend on the kindness of friends and strangers alike.

— Our mission has not changed at its core, but we are always looking to improve. We want to do more accountability stories, break news, focus on medium and long-term pieces on issues and policies that affect people, while covering elections as deeply as we can. Our ever-evolving elections page is second to none, and we will try to give voters as much information as we can through stories and fact checks so they are forearmed before they cast ballots. Nevada will be in the national spotlight and could decide the presidential race. We take that seriously.

With rare exceptions, we will not accept statements from politicians or candidates who are too often cocooned by spokespeople and campaign operatives. This goes for our governmental coverage as well. There is simply no reason to publish anodyne statements or worse — meaningless drivel provided by surrogates. That may be their job; it is not ours. They can talk to us or not. That’s their choice.

— Finally and most importantly, we want your feedback. We need your feedback. We will ask for it often, through our newsletters and social media. We have a project specifically dedicated to getting people to tell us what we are missing, what we are not covering as well as we should be.

We are limited by our resources, but we have limitless ability to listen. We won’t respond to brick-throwing or mindless vitriol — all too common these days — but for those who have constructive criticism, we will listen and respond. We will make mistakes. I know this. You know this. Call us out. We won’t ignore you.

And you can always email me directly at [email protected].

We are in a fast-moving, ever-changing world, but there is always a time for reflection, for correction if need be. Even as we approach a fraught year with editorial and financial challenges, my approach is encapsulated in a word I use often:

Onward!

Jon Ralston is the CEO and editor of The Indy.