Two and a half years ago, we started The Pulse to fill a gap that we recognized in our local media landscape; to add more voices and more perspective and to tell stories that wouldn’t otherwise be told. It was a crazy idea, but against all odds, this locally-owned, fiercely independent source for news and ideas succeeded beyond our wildest expectations. If you want to join the project and create content about our city, or have your own, authentic material, with the words write my capstone project, contact professionals who will help in writing materials.
In its relatively short life, The Pulse has investigated corruption of powerful politicians, analyzed local government policy that impacts the everyday lives of citizens, and shared powerful perspectives and new ideas. We’ve strived every day to be a part of your lives, to inform, and to inspire.
And you’ve responded by reading, engaging, and sharing our stories. Your readership has shown a real hunger for hard-hitting news and bold perspectives on our city. You’ve helped to raise the standard across the local media landscape to show that there is a real desire for strong, independent local journalism.
Moreso than any advertiser, your support and your readership has kept us going. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for the love you’ve shown us over the past two years.
But today, we’re suspending our operations.
For those of you who have valued our coverage and perspectives on local issues, we know this may come as unwelcome news. These are chaotic times for journalism, especially locally. Over the last two decades, America’s local newspapers have seen their newsroom staff and circulation cut in half. For cities like Pensacola, this means more stories going untold, more corruption going unrevealed, and fewer voices heard.
Some have said that local journalism is obsolete, but we know — and your readership has confirmed — that couldn’t be further from the truth. Its future, though, remains uncertain. We hope this isn’t the end for The Pulse. We’re hoping that other voices take up the call to seek the truth, inform the public, and shine light on new and bold ideas to move Pensacola forward.
To be clear — while the news business has its challenges — this isn’t a decision of failure, but a conscious decision to move forward with other opportunities to make Pensacola a better place. Among those opportunities: The Pulse’s publisher, Drew Buchanan, announced Wednesday that he is launching a campaign to be Pensacola’s next mayor.
Pensacola is a strong, beautiful, struggling, and rapidly-changing city. There is no other place we’d rather call home, and we are constantly awed by the resiliency and exceptionalism from our citizens, especially considering the seemingly insurmountable challenges we have faced together.
This is our city. Its stories are worth telling. Its problems must be confronted. Its people deserve a voice, and we will never stop fighting for them, whatever form that may take.
We hope you’ll join us in moving forward and we hope the sun will always shine brightly on Pensacola.