The Texas Democracy Foundation board voted unanimously Wednesday to rescind its plan of laying off the staff of the Texas Observer and halting publication altogether.
“This is wonderful news,” said Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Arana. “The Observer is indispensable to Texas and to democracy.”
A GoFundMe that started this week to save the magazine has raised more than $314,000. The original goal was $300,000. More than 4,000 people contributed to save the magazine. The campaign was launched by former Texas Observer managing director James Canup, who actually resigned in protest on Monday when the board of the Texas Democracy Foundation informed the staff of the layoffs and shutdown over a Zoom meeting. The Observer was scheduled to cease publication on Friday, March 31.
Although the nonprofit parent of the 68-year-old magazine announced the shutdown plan Monday, the magazine’s staff had already found out the previous evening in a story by a different publication. In a statement by the Texas Democracy Foundation, the board apologizes for the “abruptness of the layoff vote and deeply regret that [the staff] found out via another media outlet and the uncertainty and stress of this week.” It further states that they have secured “near-term pledges” to bridge their “immediate budget shortfall,” and feel confident in the future of the Texas Observer.
“I just got chills,” said Gayle Reaves, the Observer’s editor-at-large, when news reached staffers. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of our incredible supporters and my colleagues and the board members who helped us.”
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