The feeling of being on the ground has been electrifying. The buzz of conversations, the faces lighting up, and most importantly people getting to see us in person instead of behind the screen, that makes it all real.

In the last two weeks, the TMJ News team has been tabling at the Ramadan Suhoor Festival in Dearborn, Michigan. It’s given us a new perspective to journalism, and how grassroots efforts and being close to the people fuels our work.

While the tabling has been fruitful, it comes with its own set of challenges. In tandem with pulling all-nighters each weekend, we’ve had to juggle maintaining content flow, posting, editing and production work. As we gear up to release more exclusive work, reports and articles, let’s just say the sleep has been minimal.

But working under pressure and hardship made me realize something; our growth as individuals and as a team has happened most in this time. When we were short staffed, one of our journalists from Toronto, Sara Salimi, drove down to work the tables all weekend. Somehow, she still managed to submit her report on “Spirituality and Fasting,” as well as created the reels for her latest show on Muslims of the Melting Pot. As she departed back to Toronto today, I’m still reeling from the shock of how dedicated our journalists really are, and when the time comes, they show up.

Speaking to younger people who approached us on our booths, played the anchor games with us and asked us questions about the latest stories has filled us with hope; we realise how integral it is for TMJ News to expand its collective by tapping into the talent within the youth around us who have so much energy and skill sets to give back. A young man said to me last night, “I’d love to anchor for TMJ News, I want to make my parents proud.” To see them thinking in this way, to uplift the truth, to give back to the community and honor their parents, it really changed the game for us.

We are taking back these very experiences on the ground and channeling it into our news rooms and our journalism in the digital field.

But in even more good news, TMJ celebrated its first anniversary this Friday, April 7th. It feels surreal to even think that we’ve achieved so much within just one year; over 360 bodies of work, including reports, articles, submissions, investigations, exclusives and podcasts.

We’ve learnt a lot in this time, especially thinking back to how we started from the basements of our homes with no money and big dreams, to slowly working our way up to a cutting edge news website and a studio room all supported by our readers, viewers and patrons.

We’ve had to make tough decisions along the way, like walking away from offers that would help us financially but compromise our independence and editorial integrity. We’ve had our share of ups, downs, and lots and lots of guesswork.

But when all is said and done, what anchors us here at TMJ is our faith in God and working exhaustively for the objective truth. That means that whatever it is we are going through in our personal lives, or our difference of opinion on how to run the back end of things, we come together for a shared purpose and vision. The beauty of journalism is that all of us here at TMJ are bound by the oath to uphold the truth and work for justice; indeed, a brave press is a free press.

It’s been a great year TMJ family, can’t wait for many many more!

Your editor,

Zainabrights

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Our mission at TMJ is to fill gaps in media when it comes to untold stories, elevating minority voices and covering news and its impact holistically. We seek to uphold high journalistic values with utmost editorial independence, which means we rely on our readers to support our work.We are 100% reader funded and supported.

If you value what we publish and agree that our world needs alternative voices in media, please consider becoming a Patron. Check out our Patreon’s details below News Round-up 👇

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At TMJ News, we're not just Muslim journalists - we're truth-seekers. We believe in the power of honest and trustworthy reporting to make a real difference in the world. And we know that you believe in it too. That’s why TMJ is 100% reader and viewer funded to ensure that our work is free from outside influence and that we can continue to deliver the truth.So, how you can best support TMJ on this mission? By joining us on Patreon.

As you become a Patron, your contributions and support show us that the need for quality journalism still exists and this is what keeps us going.

Can you guess this week's riddle?

We should never miss a chance to solve a fun riddle on a Sunday. So, here we go:“The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?”

If you have an answer reply with your best guess. The correct answer will be revealed in our next Newsletter. 😉P.S: The answer to the last week’s riddle is ‘An Echo’. Had you guessed it right?

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