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Dear Reader,

This is the page where I am supposed to ask you to part ways with your hard-earned money—to fuel our independent, deeply reported journalism. And yes, I absolutely will—with zero apologies and a straight face, but not right now.

Because what I need first is something far more valuable: your time.

Journalism lives and dies by its community. By you—our readers. We’re not interested in broadcasting into the void. We want to build something meaningful. Together.

So here's what I'm thinking. You can help us in three specific ways.

First, help us with research (yes, the nerdy stuff!): Maybe you're one of those data nerds who finds joy in decoding macroeconomic numbers, or someone who knows how to spot red flags in company financial statements. Perhaps you're brilliant at filing RTIs that actually get responses, or you know your way around parliamentary committee reports.

Maybe you're just incredibly well-read in wide-ranging areas we want to cover—political economy, climate science, food and health, technology policy—and can help us build context. Or maybe you're that passionate researcher who loves diving into historical archives or tracking down obscure government documents.

These are all super useful abilities that our small team needs. If you have ten hours a week to volunteer your time for us, tell us.

Second, be our bridge to sources: Help us with leads. Every story needs diverse voices: the technical expert who can explain complex policy, the data geek who sees patterns others miss, the person with lived experience who brings reality to our reporting, the insider with hidden perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom. When we're writing about healthcare, we need both the surgeon in a top hospital and the primary care doctor in a small town. When we're covering tech, we need the startup founder, but also the ethical AI researcher raising red flags.

Our journalism is only as good as our sources. When we're diving deep into a story, I want to reach out to our community—to you—asking "Who should we talk to?" One right introduction can turn a good story into a revelatory one.

Third, keep us sharp and honest: Give it to us straight. Got us on a wrong fact? Spotted a missing angle? Saw a blind spot in our analysis? Don't hesitate—shoot us an email. Because this is about getting things right together.

Look, we're going to make mistakes sometimes—not because we want to, but because we're human. Yes, we have a dedicated fact-checker. Yes, everything goes through rigorous verification. And yet, errors will slip through—a misunderstood statistic here, a missed perspective there.

That's just how it goes when you're trying to make sense of complex stories. When you catch these, tell us. If you're right, we'll update our work and thank you. If we disagree, we'll explain why. No ego, no defensiveness—just a shared pursuit of truth. This is the relationship we want to build with you from day zero.

If any of this resonates with you—whether you're our data nerd, source connector, or truth-seeker (or all three!)—you belong in our community. What matters most right now is bringing the right people together.

This is an experiment. We're figuring out the mechanics of how to give the interested folks opportunities to shape our coverage—especially by giving an early look at the stories we are working on and ask for calls for expertise or research assistance. For now, if you want to help (bless your heart!), please fill this Google Form and we will reach out. Soon.

Let's build something amazing together—journalism that serves our democracy and makes us all better citizens.

Have thoughts, feedback, or suggestions? Write to me at samarth@theplankmag.com.