We Won’t Back Down

At the core of our mission is delivering high-quality, informed opinion, news, and commentary to Arizonans and our fellow Westerners.

Three years ago, a couple of college sophomores came together to found a campus newspaper. 

One year later, the Western Tribune went statewide. We interviewed community leaders, legislative candidates, hell, even a sitting governor. We were credentialed at the State Capitol, reporting on everything from housing affordability to border security. We built a reputation as a swashbuckling, upstart institution of journalism in Arizona. We worked hard to promote and support a new generation of young professionals dedicated to pursuing truth, and building up, rather than tearing down. 

And then, early one winter morning — or, at least, what we desert dwellers call “winter” — we were hacked. We lost everything. Our website was destroyed. Our passwords were exposed. And we lacked the resources to rebuild right at that moment. Maybe, we thought, this was a sign to pack up shop. Besides, many of us were inundated with a litany of other obligations.

But we continued to perceive a hole in the market. Time and time again, we found ourselves saying, “if only something like the Tribune existed right now.” Informed citizens, communities, and politicos from Tucson to Lake Havasu City sought a center of gravity for news and commentary that embodied a Western ethos, bringing together leaders, voters, and organizations from every corner of the state to air their opinions and share their knowledge. No such institution was built in our absence.

Restless, we could rest no longer. It was time for our comeback.

One month ago, our board came together to plan our rise from the ashes. 1912, a Tribune Substack, is the result of this deliberation. A source for commentary, current affairs, and informed opinion, 1912 will host everyday citizens, elected officials, academics, community leaders, and others to write columns on issues of interest. These articles will focus on what makes Arizona and the West unique — like water rights, wacky politics, energy policy, and contentious elections — taking both the short and long view. We will also keep our readers up-to-date on current affairs, with our writers publishing shorter news updates.

At the core of our mission is delivering high-quality, informed opinion, news, and commentary to Arizonans and our fellow Westerners. We aspire to be a hub for all things Arizona, with an emphasis on our political culture. We will work like hell to be the go-to institution for anyone from anywhere who wants to speak to, learn from, or learn about this strange land west of the Mississippi.

Over the last several decades, local journalism has taken a major hit. In the last 15 years, one-in-five local newspapers have shut down. Nearly 200 counties have no local paper at all. Furthermore, the “largest 25 newspaper chains own a third of all newspapers, including two-thirds of the country’s 1,200 dailies.” Not unlike how smaller farms are bought up by, and merge to form larger farms when faced with water scarcity, local papers faced with declining revenue have quickly given way to national conglomerates.

Beneath the surface of all the doom and gloom, however, lie seeds of renewal. New reporting and commentary outfits continue to form, particularly those, like us, who have chosen to organize as nonprofits. Relying upon the good will of our fellow citizens who are genuinely interested in the preservation of civil society and our free form of government, this next generation of newspapers seek to do the good, hard work of knitting communities back together, and keeping people informed.

It’s crucial, and vitally important to our civic health, that new local and regional institutions are sprouting up. This is because our republican form of government relies upon a citizenry that is not only informed of national happenings, but deeply engaged in local, statewide, and regional communal life. 

Beyond being in “the know,” citizens of a republic must be active participants in their own governance. Sometimes (rarely) this looks like actively following what’s going on in Washington, D.C. on social media. Most of the time, it means volunteering at a local food pantry, getting acquainted with your city council members, and taking time to get to know your neighbors. Ultimately, it means coming together and doing things together — everything from hosting pickleball tournaments, to organizing church services. 

Local media plays an indispensable role in facilitating these interactions, informing people of upcoming gatherings, giving community leaders a platform to communicate with their fellow citizens, and much, much more. We consciously frame our own work within this broader context. Far from simple journalists or pundits, we see ourselves as community builders. We understand our readers and contributors as copartners in this endeavor.

This is a story of grit. This is a story of perseverance. This is the story of Arizona. It’s a story rooted in the tradition of our pioneer and native ancestors, but guided forward by an unquenchable entrepreneurial spirit; one quilt woven together by threads in-tension. It’s your story as much as it is ours.

In life, we are ultimately judged not by how many times we fall down, but by if we have the courage to stand up again. Well, here we are. And we hope you join us.

Joe Pitts is the Chairman of the Board and CEO for the Western Tribune, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news media company. He founded the company in 2021 alongside Clay Robinson, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Board for the Western Tribune and Editor-in-Chief for 1912.