We’re not afraid to have a perspective

Some outlets seem to shy away from critical reporting and commentary, but that drives our news and politics coverage.

Why should you donate to Tone Madison? After all, Madison isn’t a news desert. Between all our local and statewide outlets, we’re pretty well covered, right? Since you subscribe to Tone Madison’s email newsletter, I think you already know that what we’re doing at Tone Madison is different from other news outlets. And I think you should seriously consider donating to our annual fundraiser to keep our distinct flavor of news and politics coverage going strong.

Tone Madison was founded to fill in the gaps in coverage that we see in our media landscape, in both content and context. As newsrooms continue to shrink and lose good reporters, some issues and stories are not getting the breadth and depth of coverage they deserve. As a news source, we’re not only here to fill those gaps, we’re also here to point out when a story is framed or edited in ways that lack important context. We poke at narratives, from both Madison’s wishy-washy progressive leaders and Wisconsin’s right-wing legislative majority.

We’re also a newsroom that’s not afraid to have a perspective, to say if someone’s words and actions align, and if those words align with reality. Like when then-mayoral candidate Gloria Reyes said the city doesn’t need more housing, but needs to help families of color become homeowners, without addressing the key question: in what houses?

Tone Madison also has a very different relationship to power and powerful entities. Some outlets seem to shy away from critical reporting and commentary, but at Tone Madison that drives our news and politics coverage. It is one of our core values. We’ve definitely ruffled some feathers, but we believe the job of journalism is to “comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.” Politicians, big business, and generally powerful people have their own PR teams to uncritically propagate their views and interests. They don’t need journalists to amplify their voices and perspectives. 

You know who does? People like you. Over 200 of you told us how the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which overturned Roe v. Wade, affected your lives. This informed our “Post-Roe Family Planning in Madison” series, which won a national LION Publishers journalism award. And it was thanks to a tip from a reader that we did the story on how Epic’s extreme weather policy could affect its 13,000 employees this winter. (Keep the tips coming! Christina@tonemadison.com.)

One of my favorite parts of my job as the news and politics editor has been working with local freelancers. Madison punches above its weight in creative and talented writers and artists, whether they’re drawing from expertise in a particular subject, or from their personal experience. Without Tone, Madison might have missed out on Kristen Billings’ analysis of Madison Gas and Electric and Alliant Energy’s ongoing commitment to fossil fuels, Frank Emspak’s insights into how national labor news affects Wisconsin, Sara Gabler’s research into the Wisconsin-Texas fracking pipeline, and Dan Fitch’s unrelenting coverage of the Dane County jail debacle. 

Some of our contributors have also highlighted wider issues based on their personal experiences, like Rachel Litchman’s series of illustrations of inaccessible bus stops, Jesse Raub’s reflection on the isolation of the immunocompromised in our “post-Covid” world, and Mel Hammond’s account of getting caught in the crosshairs of the anti-trans, book-banning moral panic.

We’re also not afraid to get a little weird. Like when JT Cestkowski asked: did UW-Madison just give better family leave to a horse than its employees? Or when Josh Napravnik wondered: do Madisonians care more about a pig’s housing than a person’s? I personally enjoyed Howard Veregin’s “Secrets of Science Hall” series, which aptly came out during spooky season.

Looking back at our news and politics coverage in 2023, I had the realization that we did a lot. But it never feels like enough. We could—and will—do more, but only with your help. Reader support makes all of this possible. 

Right now, we’re at 42% of our year-end fundraising goal. If you become a Sustainer before December 31, your new monthly donation will be TRIPLED thanks to NewsMatch, the Loud Hound Foundation, and a generous group of your fellow Madisonians. Will you help sustain our critical local journalism?

Imagine Madison’s media landscape with a Tone Madison-sized hole. It would have a lot fewer voices amplified, be a lot less critical, a lot less snarky, and a lot less fun. 

Thanks for all you do,
Christina, News and Politics Editor