Thank you to everyone who helped The Conversation survive (and thrive) in 2020

One of the great privileges of being Editor of The Conversation is spending time with the talented people who make it tick. Today I want to take a minute to thank the people whose kindness and generosity got us through 2020.

First, the academics who wrote for The Conversation. The epidemiologists, immunologists, economists, physicists, architects, sociologists, pharmacists, educators, art critics, climate scientists and political ones. You stood up when we needed you, taking on work on top of busy day jobs, stressful lives and lockdowns. We owe you a debt of gratitude.

Second, the higher education leaders in Australia. The vice-chancellors, the administrators, the education policy experts, the university media teams. We know you’ve been knocked sideways this year but you’ve carried on with grace and professionalism.

Third, our passionate readers. We do it all for you, and when you write in to tell us you enjoyed something we published it makes our day. We are looking forward to talking with you in the new year.

Fourth, the generous donors and philanthropists who make our work possible. Whether you are a reader who gave us $10 and wrote a kind note, or a big foundation who gave us tens of thousands. The fact that you trust us and support us keeps us going.

Fifth, our colleagues across the media who inspire us with courageous reporting and republish many of our articles. It’s been a terrible year for you too, but your work is vital to providing the clean information needed for healthy democracy.

Sixth, Michelle Grattan, our Chief Political Correspondent, one of Australia’s sharpest and most trusted journalists. Michelle leads our coverage from Canberra and sets a standard that keeps us on our toes.

Seventh, the members of our Board and Editorial Board. All eminent people juggling busy lives who give their time selflessly. Particular thanks to our Chair, Professor Julianne Schultz, but also to every member of our Board and Editorial Board.

Finally, the staff at The Conversation in Australia and New Zealand, and our many colleagues overseas. The supremely talented editors led by Chief of Staff Alexandra Hansen, the technology experts, the administrators and accountants and fundraisers, the expert audience team led by Molly Glassey, and our brilliant CEO Lisa Watts. I know how hard you have worked and the passion you have for serving our audience with information they can trust from academic experts.

If you’d like to know more about how we grew our audience to more than 8 million readers per month and served Australia and New Zealand with quality analysis and research in 2020 there is a wealth of great detail in our annual Stakeholder Report.

Until next year, thanks for helping us get through 2020 and all the best for 2021.