Dear Friends, 

One year ago today, we set about relaunching The New York Sun as a national daily newspaper. 

We noted that we were doing so at a time of crisis for journalism, with public confidence in the press having “ebbed to historic lows.” We expressed the hope that our effort might help “dispel the dark clouds of distrust that loom over our democracy.”

In the time that has passed, the wariness with which the press is viewed by the public hasn’t abated. A startling poll released last week finds that 50 percent of Americans believe that national news organizations intend actually to mislead them. 

It’s a sorry state of affairs, and one that in our view severely hinders the national discourse that is otherwise so important to addressing the crises facing our republic. Yet, our trademark optimism hasn’t dimmed, and at the end of this long tunnel we’re catching glimpses of light. 

We’ve been encouraged by others with similar objectives who have entered the lists. We’re thrilled that notable publications have been launched by two highly accomplished veterans of the Sun’s newsroom, Bari Weiss of the Free Press and Ben Smith of Semafor.

Our own effort seeks to build on the values that the Sun has been articulating since its launch in 1833 as the first American newspaper to seek a broad audience across the socioeconomic spectrum. We think of ourselves as a 189-year-old startup that marries an unparalleled journalistic heritage with a culture of modern, tech-savvy entrepreneurship. Call it a fusion of gravitas and grit, dependability and determination, institution and innovation. 

It’s proven to be a potent blend. The Sun has embraced the most modern methods and opportunities for audience building and delivery. All while we are committed to upholding the finest traditions in American journalism.

While the acrid winds of wokeness are fanned by those who seek to redefine the very fabric of our national identity, the Sun stands in defense of the unique and timeless values that have long set America apart. 

These values are spelled out in America’s four great state papers — the Continental Association, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, to which we are sworn. This is coupled with our aversion to government overreach and to despotism of all forms, including the “social despotism” that one of the Sun’s great editors, Charles A. Dana, warned of more than a century ago. 

Over the past year the Sun has become home to a rising team of journalistic talent. We’ve placed a premium on competence over conformity, principle over politics, and excellence over equity. We’ve established a training ground for classical journalism. We’re cultivating a new generation of America’s newsroom leaders.

The results are exceeding our most ambitious expectations. Our email list now boasts 1.7 million members. February is set to be our seventh straight month of double-digit growth in new paid subscribers. We’ve hosted exciting events in New York, Florida, California, and Washington. Our editorials and reporting have been echoed in the world’s greatest publications.

So, from where shines the light at the end of the tunnel, you ask? Perhaps, just perhaps, the Sun’s iridescent rays have begun to break through. We express this hope with humility. We recognize that the road ahead will be grueling, but we remain ever cognizant of our famed motto.

“It Shines for All,” which has adorned our masthead for nearly two centuries, is not just an ambition, it’s also a promise, a pledge from all of us at the Sun to you, whom we aspire to serve. 

As we begin the second year in this new iteration, I thank you, on behalf of my colleagues as well as myself, for the renewed confidence you have placed in The New York Sun.

Yours sincerely,

Dovid Efune