First, a thank you. Thank you, members, for joining us on this journey. Because this is, in fact, a journey. The idea of inviting passive readers to become active supporters through paid memberships is a new frontier for Sudbury.com.
I want to be clear that this is not a paywall. We will not be roping off news coverage in any way. Readers who are not members will still have complete access to all of the news and opinions on Sudbury.com.
But we are offering incentives for those who plunk down their hard-earned cash to support us directly, including early access to contests, discounts and other tokens of our appreciation.
We will also be bringing members into the newsroom, in a way, explaining how we do what we do, how we cover stories the stories we cover and why, and letting you get to know our staff in a more personal way.
As the editor, I will also be hosting regular chat sessions with you, our members, to talk about the issues of the day and answer your questions.
Like you, we believe local journalism is important. We believe a robust free press is an absolute cornerstone of democracy. We believe committed, passionate community journalists provide the kind of reliable, credible coverage that holds our leaders to account, that highlights how our tax money is being spent, that ensures our police are doing their job keeping us safe, that our courts are working.
We believe in amplifying the voice of community-members who are working and volunteering on our behalf, and highlighting the achievements of our friends and neighbours.
Because, like you, we are a part of this community.
We believe in the mission of community journalism and we’re so pleased that you do, too. We take our role seriously. Your support helps ensure that that mission can continue.
So thank you for coming along on this journey with us. We can’t wait to meet you.
This week, on Nov. 4, I’ll be hosting a live member’s only lunch-hour chat over Zoom where we can get to know each other and I can answer questions you might have. I’ll be sending you each an email with a link for that chat today. I hope you can join me.
