Paige Cornwell, a reporter with The Seattle Times, started the Journalist Furlough GoFundMe on March 31.
On April 9, the fund distributed about a quarter of the donations gathered to furloughed and laid-off journalists.
Within nine days, with just a few advertisements in journalism trade publications, the fund attracted 170 requests for help and 600 donors.
Although her venture started off with a simple Instagram post, the response was so strong that Cornwell decided she needed the more transparent record-keeping of GoFundMe, which helps donors be sure their money is accounted for.
As of April 9, she had paid approximately $12,000 of what has come in so far to almost 40 journalists.
“We don’t want to make up for someone’s entire financial loss but, $100 or $200 for groceries or rent can make the difference,” she added.
