A note on the future

Taking a short break, and changing course.

In 2024, the fifth year of HEATED, we continued our mission of producing original, impactful, reader-powered journalism that holds polluters to account. We co-published our first investigation with The Guardian. We influenced a historic lawsuit against Big Plastic. We helped spark a national climate activism campaign. Our audience grew from 84,000 free subscribers at the beginning of 2024 to 116,000 free subscribers today.

But our paid subscriber community did not grow in tandem with our free community this year. In fact, we have fewer paying subscribers now than we did at this time last year. Part of that is because the newsletter market is more competitive than ever. So many fantastic journalists are leaving corporate media and joining the independent, reader-funded route. I’m proud to have been part of the group that helped sparked the trend back in 2019.

But I also know that HEATED failed to grow in 2024 because I’m once again experiencing symptoms of burnout. Over the last year, I’ve come to understand that I don’t have the capacity to maintain and grow a large subscriber-based community while being an effective editor while continuing to be a reporter myself. I focused on the latter two responsibilities this year at the expense of the former. And even still, I’m slipping back into burnout—not to the extreme degree I felt when I took my six-month hiatus in 2022, but to a serious enough extent where I know it’s time to change course.

That’s why I’ve made the difficult decision to abandon my goal of growing HEATED into a reader-funded newsroom. Instead, I’ll be moving back to a more personal, one-author newsletter in 2025. Unfortunately, that means parting ways with Arielle, who has been an integral part of our community over the last two years. (More on that in a second).

It also means that, starting today, HEATED will be taking a month-long break from publishing. I think it’s a convenient time for a pause, since most people are checked out for the holidays anyway. I’ll use this time to decompress and reflect on the reporting cadence and direction I want to take once I return on January 20—the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

But back to Arielle, who came to us in January 2023. In just two years, she’s made an invaluable mark on the journalism world. She was the first reporter to call B.S. on so-called “climate-friendly” beef by Tyson Foods, which is now facing a lawsuit over the product’s marketing. She informed over 100,000 people about the scam of plastic recycling, one of HEATED’s most-read letters. She unearthed the climate angle in major news stories like the Boeing 737 Max debacle; the sale of Jay-Z’s wildly expensive house, and the scourge of Los Angeles police helicopters. And she’s been incredibly dedicated to seeking out and highlighting underrepresented voices, from indigenous communities to petrochemical plant neighbors to unhoused flood victims.

I’m so proud to have witnessed Arielle’s growth as a reporter and writer over these last two years, and I’m hoping that our loss can be another publication’s gain. If you’re hiring for a climate or environment news team—or know someone else who is—contact her. And as a reference, contact me.

I’m genuinely sorry to anyone I’ve disappointed with this decision. If you subscribed because you were excited about the prospect of building a reader-funded climate newsroom, I totally understand if you want to move on. But if you still want to read my reporting and perspective as we head into Trump 2.0, I hope you’ll stick around.

Have a restful and restorative holiday season. See you all in 2025.

-Emily

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A note from Arielle

Hi all—Arielle here. It’s been nearly two years since you all welcomed me as a new reporter at HEATED. It should have been nerve-wracking stepping into Emily’s shoes—the OG climate reporter—but everyone made me feel like part of the HEATED family from my very first day.

Since then, your support has given me the freedom to report on everything from a climate billionaire tax to Kim K’s greenwashing nipple bra. In return, you’ve have shared your climate activism, your favorite stories, and your adorable pets. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to be able to report stories for such wonderful readers.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without Emily’s fearless leadership. She’s made my stories better with her excellent editing, killer reporter instincts, and MAD graphic design skills. I’ve grown so much as a reporter under her guidance.

It’s been a blast being at HEATED. I look forward to continuing to report on climate change in the future, but in the meantime, you can always reach me at ariellesamuel@gmail.com.

Happy holidays, and a happy new year!