Heartbroken Gay Star News founders thank supporters, explain why popular site is closing down
Gay Star News founders Tris Reid-Smith and Scott Nunn have posted a story on the site explaining why GSN is closing today.
Some excerpts:
We entered 2019 with every reason to be confident we were going to have a strong year. But as the year progressed, decisions have been delayed and projects people had committed to do with us have fallen flat.
There are a number of reasons, of course. But the biggest change was the level of confidence brands and businesses in the UK have, due to the uncertainty over Brexit. It won’t surprise anyone to hear that many media organisations are struggling with the same problem.
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None of us have ever made a profit from Gay Star News, despite our best efforts. In fact, our first and biggest supporters have all lost massively with our closure, including us personally. As time has gone on, it’s become clear the real reason people were continuing is that they loved what we do and wanted it to succeed. We all believed it would – but time and money have turned against us.
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The most heartbreaking moment, of course, was telling our team about our situation. They are exceptional, dedicated, talented. They are our family. We have tried our best to be the team leaders they deserve and are truly sorry that ultimately it wasn’t enough. We can’t imagine ever being lucky enough to work alongside such an amazing group of people again. If you have the opportunity to work with any one of them, now or in the future, please seize it.
And we need to thank you. Without our supporters and audience, there would, of course, been no Gay Star News. It has been an honor to serve you. Your comments, frequently witty and heartwarming, have brightened our days. At other times, when haters have made ignorant or stupid remarks on our social media, you have shut them down for us and stood up for others in our community. Your recommendations have made us grow. Your, often valid, criticisms have forced us to improve.
We have worked hard to empower, engage, unite, inform, inspire and entertain. We have solidly believed in the power of journalism. We have always believed in our community.
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UPDATE: Things are moving quickly and people are still coming forward with plans to rescue Gay Star News in some form or another. Naturally we will do all we can to make it happen and we are grateful beyond measure for all those trying to help.
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Some final thoughts: I am hoping that somehow GSN can be revived. It’s just too good to be gone forever. I stayed with it as US correspondent for so long (5.5 years) because I believed strongly in what we were doing and it was so satisfying as a journalist and as a member of the LGBT community to be a part of it. A GoFundMe account has been started to help out the 20 staff members receive a final salary. They find themselves suddenly out of work only days before pay day..
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