By DM Livingston
Founder, The Waterbury Times
Waterbury-Three years ago, the Waterbury Times began with a simple idea: Waterbury deserves consistent, independent local journalism rooted in the community it serves.
Not parachute coverage.
Not headlines without follow-up.
Not stories told by people who don’t live with the outcomes.
Just reporting—done regularly, responsibly, and close to home.
As the Waterbury Times enters its third year, the project is no longer an experiment. It is a functioning local news operation built without corporate ownership, political backing, or institutional funding. Its survival has depended on consistency, community trust, and the belief that local stories matter even when they don’t trend.
Why the Waterbury Times Was Created
The Waterbury Times was created in response to a gap that many cities experience quietly: when local news coverage shrinks, accountability shrinks with it.
Important stories still happen every day—arrests, court proceedings, public safety incidents, City Hall decisions—but fewer outlets have the time or proximity to stay with them beyond the initial headline. That gap leaves communities under-informed and disconnected from the systems that affect their lives.
The Waterbury Times was built to stay.
What Three Years of Independent Reporting Looks Like
Over the past three years, the Waterbury Times has consistently reported on:
- Breaking news and developing incidents
- Arrests, court cases, and follow-up reporting
- Public safety and community violence
- Local government actions and civic issues
- Stories that larger outlets often overlook or move past
This work has been done independently, without advertisers shaping coverage and without institutional pressure determining what gets reported.
The goal has never been to be the loudest outlet—only the most reliable.
The Reality of Local Journalism Today
Local journalism is fragile.
Across the country, small outlets disappear not because the work isn’t needed, but because sustaining even basic operations is difficult without backing. Hosting costs, equipment, records access, transportation, and time all add up quietly.
When local journalism disappears, it rarely makes headlines. It just stops.
Year 3 is often where projects either fade out—or stabilize.
What Sustainability Means Going Forward
For the Waterbury Times, sustainability does not mean chasing growth for its own sake. It means maintaining independence, protecting consistency, and preparing for a future where local journalism can be supported by the community it serves.
To help cover basic operating and reporting costs during its third year, the Waterbury Times has launched a modest public fundraising effort. Readers who wish to support independent local journalism can learn more through the campaign.
The goal is not permanence through donations, but stability through transparency—so that, over time, local journalism can support contributors and future reporting efforts beyond a single newsroom.
Why Year 3 Matters
Three years in, the Waterbury Times exists because readers have shown that local reporting still has value.
This year represents a transition point—from survival to sustainability, from proving the work can be done to ensuring it can continue responsibly.
The Waterbury Times will continue reporting as long as it can.
Year 3 is about making sure it can.
The Waterbury Times- Waterbury,CT Local News 
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