Ouray County Plaindealer

Even small places deserve quality journalism.

That's the mantra Ouray County Plaindealer publishers Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins adopted when they purchased the weekly newspaper five years ago.

At a time when newspapers were shrinking or folding altogether — a trend that has only accelerated — they doubled down on their dedication for local journalism. They believe a strong community newspaper is essential to an informed, educated community and foundational to a healthy, functioning democracy.

The Plaindealer has served Ouray County since 1877, making it the second-oldest privately owned newspaper on the Western Slope and the oldest operating business in the county. It is the only trusted source of local news produced in this community of roughly 5,000 residents. Without the Plaindealer, Ouray County would be a news desert.

The Plaindealer serves a variety of functions but perhaps its most vital is to serve as a government watchdog, hold power to account and shed light on problems and efforts to address those problems.

Its reporting in recent years has resulted in the recall of the Ouray County sheriff, exposed problems within the Ouray Police Department and called attention to Ouray County's affordable housing crisis, among other stories.

With your support, the Plaindealer is able to:

• Continue to serve the community with fact-based, nonpartisan journalism.

• Continue covering everything from local government to human-interest features, and support the salary of the Report for America journalist who is focused mainly on covering the government accountability beat.

Report for America journalist Lia Salvatierra interviews U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet

• Improve the efficiency of operations to help foster the long-term viability and success of a 147-year-old community institution.

Your support allows the Ouray County Plaindealer to continue publishing news and ensure the community can stay informed, educated and empowered.

Thank you for supporting independent, high-quality community journalism.

Please know that we will receive your tax-deductible donation here at the Plaindealer, even though it will be processed through this fundraising page through the Colorado News Collaborative. Donations up to $1,000 will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 in the #NewsCONeeds campaign.

NOTE:  The Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) is acting as our fiscal sponsor for this fundraising campaign. COLab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with newsrooms like ours across the state to strengthen local public-service journalism. 

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