Let’s be honest with you.
This is a crass attempt to get money. But stick with us for a second, because we think it’s a crass attempt worth making.
Indiana’s media landscape is shrinking. Out-of-state chains are swallowing up local newsrooms, cutting staff, and pointing the survivors toward content that plays in forty markets at once. The people making decisions that affect your life — your city council, your statehouse, your county officials — are counting on nobody paying attention.
We intend to keep paying attention. We’re locally owned, locally focused, and not going anywhere. We just need a little help doing it.
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**Here’s our pitch, tailored to you:**
**If you like us** — thank you. You already know why this matters. Chip in and keep us going.
**If you hate us** — perfect. Fund us so you have someone to be mad at. An Indy Politics that goes dark means you lose your favorite punching bag. You don’t want that.
**If you don’t care either way** — honestly, fair enough. But what’s a few bucks? Buy us a coffee. We’ll turn it into a story about something that actually affects your neighborhood.
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**This is what your money makes possible.**
We don’t just cover Indiana politics — we break it. Here’s a taste of what locally owned, independent journalism looks like in practice:
️ **The Morales Snafu** —
We were on top of the story when Secretary of State Diego Morales’ office was caught approving candidate filings through non-certified notaries — forcing candidates across the state to scramble and refile. Nobody told you? We did.
**The Bears Are Coming to Hammond** —
We broke the news that an announcement was expected that the Chicago Bears had agreed to relocate to Northwest Indiana. One of the biggest economic development stories in state history — and we had it first.
️ **No New Maps** —
When Governor Braun pushed for a mid-cycle redistricting special session, we dug into the polling that showed most Hoosiers — including many Republicans — wanted no part of it. We put the numbers in front of you and let you decide.
️ **The Mid-States Corridor’s Hidden Detour** —
Buried inside the Hammond stadium bill was language that could dramatically slow down the controversial Mid-States Corridor highway project. We found it, explained it, and told you exactly what it means for southern Indiana communities fighting to protect their farmland.
That’s the kind of journalism that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because locally owned, independent outlets are willing to dig — and because readers like you are willing to support it.
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**Where does your money go?**
No mystery here. Your support covers:
• **Day-to-day operations** — keeping the lights on, the site running, and me caffeinated
• **Investigative journalism** — the deeper digs that take time, resources, and the willingness to make a few enemies
• **Scotch, cigars, and comic books** — look, nobody said local journalism was a glamorous business. Someone has to sustain our habits so we can sustain yours. Think of it as a cultural exchange.
We’re locally owned. That means no out-of-state boardroom deciding which Indiana stories are worth telling. No headquarters in New York or Atlanta setting the agenda. Just people who live here, work here, and care about what happens here — doing the journalism this community deserves.
It also means we don’t have a media conglomerate’s checkbook. That’s where you come in.
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**Why now?**
As outside ownership groups merge outlets, slash local staff, and retreat from statehouse and city hall coverage, the gap in accountability journalism grows. The stories that matter most to Indianapolis — the ones with no national angle, no viral hook — are the first to go.
We see that gap as an opportunity. And a responsibility. Indy Politics exists to fill it — but only if this community helps us stay in the game.
Your money stays local. Your news stays local. We stay local.
**Give because you love us. Give because you hate us. Give because you had $10 and weren’t sure what to do with it.**
And hey — someone has to fund the scotch, the cigars, and the comic book collection. Help a brotha out! :-)
— The Indy Politics Team aka Abdul
