Future of Anderson Alerts
A frank update on the future of this Substack and how you can help keep it sustainable past the election.
First, please join me in welcoming all the new Anderson Alerts members! It’s so great to have you, and I look forward to hearing from folks. If there is a candidate you’d like to hear from or an issue you feel isn’t getting sufficient attention, you can shoot me a note here.
Following Thursday’s story I broke surrounding revelations of questionable online posts from Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and a forthcoming CNN story, this Substack reached its annual subscriber count goal—more than three months ahead of schedule!
As a public service, I lifted the paywall on Thursday’s story. And on Sunday, I’ll bring you the latest installment in my Candidate Conversation series, where I’ll share highlights from my conversations with two congressmen running for North Carolina attorney general. As an information service to voters, these candidate conversations are also free and available in their entirety.
But in order to keep this Substack sustainable past the November election, I wanted to write today to share a frank update on the future of Anderson Alerts: As things stand, this Substack doesn’t have the financial runway it needs to continue operating into 2025. I don’t run ads. I don’t accept sponsorships. And I’ve never applied for any grants. Put simply: I want this to be a reader-driven enterprise, not one beholden to outside interests.
So if you are able, if you value fair, contextual, nonpartisan political journalism, I’m hoping you’ll consider upgrading to a paid membership, giving a gift subscription, buying memberships for a group or spreading the word about this Substack to your friends who may be interested in keeping up with NC political news. Individuals may contribute up to $200 annually through a founding membership. And if you already fall into any of these categories, please accept my sincere gratitude.
It’s become clear this Substack has done a great deal of good in keeping the public informed since it launched in February 2023. And I’d love to keep it running.
If you’ve been an Anderson Alerts member, you’ve been the first to learn of the emerging Robinson story.
You were the first to learn about the resignation of Auditor Beth Wood, a congressional candidate accused of an extramarital affair, the end to a monthslong budget stalemate, state Rep. Tricia Cotham’s 2024 reelection plans, divides within Robinson’s political orbit, the list goes on…
You’ve also seen in-depth, revelatory candidate profiles, comprehensive analyses on redistricting, information on lawmaker absenteeism, aggressive coverage of the impacts and origins of a law exempting lawmakers from the state’s public records law and much more.
For folks unfamiliar with my personal story, I’ve been covering North Carolina politics since 2016 (minus a nearly two-year stint reporting in California). In 2020, I gambled on myself. I returned to North Carolina to cover politics, leaving behind a full-time position to accept a temporary, grant-funded one with The Associated Press. As the 18-month position approached its end, an opportunity arose for me to work full-time at a TV station. Sadly, it became apparent rather quickly that it wasn’t going to be a good working environment. So for what is now approaching two years, I’ve run this Substack and continued covering the state I most love.
At the outset, Anderson Alerts was intended to be a brief holdover as I awaited a full-time position. But since February 2023, it has morphed into a one-man band news operation that’s meant a lot to many loyal readers. Without you, this forum wouldn’t exist. And I am so appreciative of the support you’ve shown for it.
While I am still holding out hope that a good, permanent reporting home will emerge, two things have become clear: People value Anderson Alerts and I’d like to see it continue.
So if you want to see this Substack continue past the 2024 election, your support is greatly needed.
It’s not lost on me that many people have landed on hard financial times. And if you are unable to contribute financially at this time, I hope that’ll by no means stop you from engaging. Your emails, your questions, your news tips are all so meaningful and critically important.
The most important commodity we have in life is our time. And I’m so grateful for those who choose to spend theirs reading, sharing and supporting Anderson Alerts. Thank you for your continued engagement!
Best,
Bryan Anderson