Protect the Star Observer
The Star Observer needs your help. We are facing a dire threat.
A perfect storm threatens the unique position of the Star Observer as a not-for profit publication dedicated to Australia’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans* and intersex community.
We need to raise money to protect the Star, and ensure our community does not lose its voice.
Legal battles are a reality of journalism, and the fiercely independent nature of our reporting makes us a high profile target. Some battles are over, others ongoing. But the expense and distraction of these battles has been high at a time when the Star Observer has been reinventing itself.
Our community ownership structure prevents us raising funds from shareholders or commercial investors and so we are reaching out to you, our community for help.
Put bluntly, we need your support right now.
If just 2,500 of you, our loyal readers, pledged a tiny $30, we will easily hit our funding target.
Our first story was written 35 years ago, as a community-run and owned news organisation we have built an international reputation for fearless reporting, independent of any politician or corporation. From the early days of Mardi Gras, through the AIDS crisis to the battle for marriage equality, the Star Observer has been there providing in-depth and independent journalism.
Over the years, we have grown to become a major national news website and colour monthly magazine distributed across Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as selected regional locations.
Most of our readers now read our articles on their phones and tablets.
Even so, many people still love thumbing through the longer articles in our beautifully-produced monthly magazine.
There are now more than 120,000 loyal readers like you, who read our articles each month online and in print. Many of you join us on Facebook or Twitter to debate the issues.
Through it all, we have remained a not-for-profit business owned by your community.
Our independence and community focus sets us apart.
But all this takes a significant amount of money and effort.
Your support will help us continue what we do best.
We started our journey in 1979 as a simple local newspaper, but have come a long, long way with your support. Because like you — we have moved with the times.
But through it all, one thing has always stayed the same. We are still a not-for-profit business. Owned by the community.
Any proceeds we make are re-invested back into our journalism, and support for LGBTI community groups around Australia. And not just one or two groups.
The Star Observer has publicised and supported pretty much every LGBTI organisation within Australia, including Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Midsumma, Brisbane Pride, ACON, the Victorian AIDS Council, Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (NSW and Victoria), Queer Screen, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Aurora Group, the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Positive Living NSW, and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Business Association.
Now we need your support.
If you chip in today, it will allow us to continue bringing you great news articles everyday, investigate important issues, create definitive guides to help you enjoy your favourite community festivals, and document our community’s contribution to Australian society.
Your support will help us continue what we do best.
ANY amount you can pledge will help us to protect the voice of the LGBTI community and continue 35 years of fearless, independent journalism.
Watch our Pozible campaign video below:
How the funds will be used
We have set a budget of $75,000 for this fundraiser for a very simple reason.
This is what it will take.
Where will all of this money go? Well that is also really simple. It will help us fund our legal defence, restructure our business, produce our monthly magazines, and pay a very modest amount to our hard working journalists and production team.
We run a very lean operation, and there is no money spent on frivolous items.
Ideally, we would like to smash our target and raise $125,000, which would allow us to also upgrade our website, hire more journalists and writers, and deliver an amazing experience for our audience over the Midsumma and Mardi Gras seasons.
Isn’t protecting the Star Observer as part of our community worth the price of a few flat whites?
The Star Observer doesn’t have the backing of an agenda-ridden multi-million dollar media company, we don’t have remote shareholders with deep pockets. Rather, the Star Observer is managed by a board of volunteers from the LGBTI community.
With a pledge from you, we can keep bringing you the best gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans* and intersex journalism.
All pledges are rewarded (and pledges can be used to support LGBTI community organisations. The Community Hero pledge allows you to show your support for your favorite from this list).
I was writing free gay mental health columns and then no replies to my emails and posts. We you accept my regular column again that supports rural youth, ethnic gays, couples and those with addictions, anxiety and depression issues.
Happy to donate $100
Gerry north
Gerry, maybe your articles were shit. If I were you I’d delete this post. It’s just embarrassing.