The Texas Democracy Foundation had to rescind shutting down the Texas Observer. Texas Observer’s Editor-In-Chief Gabriel Arana discusses their success in keeping the magazine alive.
Gabriel Arana on The Texas Observer Closure
The Texas Democracy Foundation had to backtrack after their attempt to kill Texas’ only real Progressive magazine. The fundraising on the part of staff raised over $300,000 in just over a day. Gabriel Arana could not believe the irresponsible and callous manner in which the board attempted to shut down the magazine.
The staff first heard of the Texas Observer shutdown via a call from a Texas Tribune reporter. The disrespect and disregard are greatly mitigated by their meek letter of apology as the board was forced to rescind their closure attempt.
This afternoon, the Texas Democracy Foundation has unanimously voted to rescind previous votes for layoffs. We have secured near-term pledges to bridge our immediate budget shortfall and feel confident that there is time for the Texas Observer to determine its future, thanks to the extraordinary success of the staff’s fundraising this week.
We apologize to the staff for the abruptness of the layoff vote and deeply regret that they found out via another media outlet and the uncertainty and stress of this week. We look forward to working with them as we build a sustainable path for the magazine.
We apologize to our major donors Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge of the Tejemos Foundation. The Observer organization as a whole misunderstood the nature and schedule of their gift, which was always designated as a matching gift. It was mischaracterized in press coverage. As journalists and activists themselves, Lynne and Greg have been long-time Observer supporters, committed to progressive causes. We appreciate their enduring support.
Finally, we apologize to our community of contributors, readers and supporters for how long it has taken us to provide clarity on our situation. Thank you for the extraordinary ways you have supported the Observer—in this moment, in the past and, we hope, in the future.
The reality is that this is just a reprieve. The editor-In-Chief, Gabriel Arana, is well aware that they dodged a bullet. It would not surprise me that this was an orchestrated effort indirectly to neuter the progressive voice in Texas. The Progressive base made sure that the magazine did not close with their support. But if there are other forces at work, not even raising this kind of funds would suffice to save the magazine.