Anniversary galleries: Celebrate the start of our 4th year

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen NonDoc launched three years ago today, we knew what we wanted to stand for, and we knew what we wanted to do.

What we didn’t know was how we would get there, how we would pay for it and what we might help accomplish along the way.

So, in starting our fourth year as an independent, alternative publication predominantly focused on the state of Oklahoma, we would like to do a few things for our anniversary:

• offer our thanks to readers and supporters,
• recall a few of our goals and proudest accomplishments
• and humbly ask for your continued financial support.

Thanks for reading and supporting

Over the past three years, people have often thanked us for the work we do. But the fact is, running a journalism website would not be worth the work if not for the readers who desire the news and commentary we publish.

While accolades and recognition make us feel good, we really operate under a constant state of gratitude that people want to receive accurate information, read diverse voices and participate in a responsible public forum right here in Oklahoma.

In addition, we would be unable to make NonDoc work without the support of our Writers’ Fund contributors and our advertisers. The names are too numerous to list, so please just know that every dollar you commit to our cause is valued and important.

As for our longest-running advertisers, we would be remiss not to thank Home Creations and Designs in Dentistry. Additionally, every organization that has sponsored our political debates, the How We Got Here podcast (thanks, FKG Consulting!) and our various community gatherings has our utmost gratitude.

Last, we appreciate commentary author and former Gov. David Walters for working out an advertising agreement that allows us to afford office space in a building he owns.

Putting our ‘best’ foot forward

Even though our appreciation for you — the reader — and our generous supporters will always come first, we do want to list some things of which we are proud:

• Hosting seven public political debates in just the past year
• Ensuring Charlie Christian’s inclusion in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame
• Receiving the 2018 “Best Website” award from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Oklahoma Chapter
• Providing professional opportunities for young media professionals through a series of internships
• Publishing more than 250 voices and daily content — more than 2,200 posts — across three years
• Providing in-depth coverage of state government while breaking important stories about lawmakers, state employees and political campaigns

How we keep our content free to the public

As the world turns and we prepare for what #Year4 of NonDoc holds, we must devote much of our attention to the challenge facing all media companies: funding.

During the next 12 months, what trends or dynamics will develop concerning how journalism remains financially viable? Online paywalls seem to come into fashion as quickly as they fade.

Here at NonDoc, we committed to the public from our first day that our content would be free for consumption. We have never wanted to write only for readers who can afford to pay for information.

But that position requires us to do two things and do them often:

• Attempt to convince Oklahoma companies to advertise locally.
• Remind those who value our work that they have an option to provide financial support.

That option is our Writers’ Fund, and with almost 70 monthly contributors already — and many other one-time donors — we find it to be a steady source of the financial support our little media machine needs.

While we cannot offer tax deductions as an LLC that also sells advertising, we can offer NonDoc pins and other valuable gifts as tokens of our thanks.

So, with the start of our fourth year, please consider making a Writers’ Fund contribution today.

Our commitment to you remains simple: value our readers, provide a responsible public forum, pursue important stories, uphold journalism ethics and throw the occasional fun party while not taking ourselves too seriously.

Speaking of, check out these photo galleries from our first three years in business. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!