COVID-19 hit journalism hard. Sure, there were more stories to cover than ever before and at YS we did.

However, COVID was brutal on independent media. We work with local businesses and they too had a brutal year.

Revenues were down 25% while printing costs went up 25%. While Pandemic Relief funding was being given out to the large corporations, small businesses were left with scraps.

Way back when our publisher started in media at the age of 21. She likes to say she drank the “Journalism Matters” Kool-Aid. And she did.

Starting YS out of her 500-sq. ft. apartment as nothing more than a flyer, over years of dedication to authentic journalism and exceptional design, she grew YS into Boulder County’s most widely read publication, without ever having an outside investor. It was built on the talents, creativity, and drive of our staff to produce a local resource that connects our community to the important aspects of our lives. Discover the people who built YS in our ‘Ourticles’ Series.

While YS is not burdened with the kind of corporate oversight that buries stories that matter, YS does not shy away from the disenfranchised. We follow the stories that shape and impact our lives. The beauty of independent journalism is its ability to approach and dissect stories in ways that monolithic corporate news is either unable or unwilling to cover.

In the last 20 years, the number of journalists in Colorado has gone from 15,000 to fewer than 50 at the Denver Post. Eighty-five percent of the current media is now controlled by six major companies.

And almost all of their investigative departments have been gutted. We rely on independent journalism to find stories that hide in the background. To hold public figures accountable. To expose chronic abuse of the disenfranchised. To show the connections between monied interests and policy changes. And to show the beauty of the human spirit — from the arts to the activists.

This is why we’re asking for your support during these challenging times. We’re celebrating our 22nd year next year and plan on continuing our path of excellence for as long as the universe lets us. This truly is our life’s work. We have a goal of raising $25,000 which would go a long way for this humble, independent publication.

Over the last two years, these are just some of the important stories Yellow Scene Magazine covered, whether the money was there or not.

Everyone who donates qualifies for our gift certificate giveaway, and anyone who donates over $500 I will happily provide marketing and advertising services.

Even better, when you support local media you also support local businesses. Everyone who contributes $50 or more qualifies for our Thank You Gift Bonus.

Your donation — whether it’s $5, $50, $500, or $5000 — does more than just support local media and journalism. It gives you back the power of what you see in your news feed: the truth.