Dear Friends of CJR,

I’m writing to you at a disorienting moment for our nation and for our profession, as hope for a vaccine is mixed with dread of illness, and fear about the business pressures on journalism is combined with excitement about new opportunities. It is in that context that I introduce you to CJR’s Winter 2020 magazine—“What Now?”—aimed at taking stock of an industry in flux. In columns, features, data, and a visual tour of zines, a few themes emerge: the rise of individual workers, the decline of institutions, and the importance of community engagement, among others. As the most noxiously anti-press government in American history begins to wind down, our reinvention starts.

In the issue, you'll find:

• Clio Chang on the promise and pitfalls of Substack
• Abe Streep on a Colorado editor’s quest for public funds
• Maya Binyam on whether unions can deliver racial equity
• Julian BraveNoisecat on Indigenous lessons from the apocalypse
• Ruth Margalit on out post-newsroom future
• Leah Sottile on the first responders of the Portland press
• Jack Herrera on service journalism in Oakland
• Plus: Adam Piore on the inundation of opinions

There’s much more, available online and coming to you in print, on 100-percent recycled post-consumer stock. You can also buy copies of the magazine from Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. The best way to read our printed work, and to support all we do online at cjr.org, is to become a member. Click here for more.

I hope you'll spend meaningful time with this issue, and I thank you for your ongoing and enthusiastic support.

Thank you,

Kyle Pope