One year ago, Hell Gate was born. Started by five journalists fed up with a media ecosystem that continually devalues incisive journalism (while also treating its workers like trash), we began Hell Gate with a simple goal—to create a worker-owned newsroom that serves New Yorkers with reporting that is trenchant, playful, outraged, irreverent, and useful.

A year in? We're feeling good! We've published reporting that exposes New York in all its grime and glory. We've added new writers and expanded our culture coverage. And now, we even have a weekly podcast!

We're still in our infancy (we're baby) but we're growing fast.

So on this, our first birthday, we're asking you, our beloved readers, for a gift: A tip to Hell Gate. If you've been loving Hell Gate, want even more Hell Gate to love, and can spare a few dollars, we hope you consider throwing some change in our tip jar! Or if you're reading this and you haven't subscribed to Hell Gate: take the plunge and become a subscriber!

We're trying to raise $7,000 in tips in seven days. Right now, there are seven Hell Gate staff members. Are we asking for a grand for each of us to spend on virtual roulette at the Aqueduct Racino? No! All of this $7,000 will be spent directly on local journalism—that amount would pay for a slew of new episodes of the Hell Gate Podcast, or roughly two months of great freelance stories like these.

But wait…there's more! Each person who tips us above a certain amount will be entered to win some cool prizes:

• Five lucky people who give a tip of $100 or more will be chosen at random to get a Hell Gate hat.
• And anyone who tips $1,000 or more will be invited to join the full Hell Gate staff on the maiden voyage of the Hell Gate Cruise* where we will not only wine and dine you, but entertain you with scintillating conversation. (*The Hell Gate Cruise consists of three back-to-back round-trip journeys on the Staten Island Ferry.)

You can tip Hell Gate here. Thank you for supporting worker-owned local journalism!