The Cost of Shoeleather Reporting

This piece is the first in a series that will take you through THE CITY’s impact and values, and introduce you to our reporters.

We hope this series will move you to contribute to our spring fundraising campaign . Reader donations make THE CITY’s work possible: we couldn’t do it without you.

I’m Claudia Irizarry Aponte with THE CITY, and I’m writing today to share that we’ve launched our spring fundraising campaign . Today is the first day of our weeklong fundraiser, and it makes sense that I’m kicking it off because I was one of THE CITY’s first hires five years ago. Since my first day, I’ve been covering labor and work for New York City.

I reported on how migrants have allegedly been robbed of wages as they work in unsafe factory conditions curing tobacco for HotHead Grabba, a popular brand often sold across the city’s bodegas and smoke shops.

After my initial reporting was published, the complaints led to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and state Department of Labor opening an investigation against HotHead. The reporting also led to more migrants speaking out, with two men alleging they were also being underpaid at HotHead’s Queens operation.

We’re committed to our work here because we know journalism can empower its readers and make a big impact on the communities it serves. Your support makes a big impact too, and for our spring fundraising campaign, your support can make double the impact. Thanks to a generous donor, every contribution made during this campaign will be doubled dollar-for-dollar . If you’re able to give $10/month, your donation will become $20/month, and so on.

Your donation to THE CITY means I can continue this shoeleather reporting that you’ve come to rely on. (Did you know THE CITY celebrated its fifth anniversary last month?) It takes meeting people face to face to build trust, and that leads to impact, like with the workers who were able to speak up on behalf of themselves.

Thanks for reading,
Claudia Irizarry Aponte

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