Editorial of September 5, 2024
In Defense of the Paywall
They want us to pay for that information.” “The article is behind a pay wall.” “I would love to [assist], but I can’t read the article.” “Subscribe? No thank you. We get more information in the free papers.”
Iron String Press Inc., which owns and publishes “The Freeman’s Journal,” “Hometown Oneonta,” and the website, AllOtsego.com, also has a Facebook page where we share links to our own published content as well as news and announcements from community and municipal organizations.
Invariably, someone will take the time out of their busy day to post a complaint on Facebook when something they want to read is behind our paywall, similar to the comments above. It is not unusual for another reader to then copy and paste that protected content into the comment section, defeating the purpose of the paywall.
It always perplexes us when people are surprised by, dismayed with or downright ornery about the prospect of paying to read local news.
Iron String Press is a business, just like all the other for-profit and non-profit entities throughout Otsego County. We have rent and utilities to pay, a professional staff to support, printing and mailing costs, and a host of other expenses. We are providing a viable community service and, in the current economic climate—just like all these other businesses—our bottom line is ever top-of-mind.
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Our hard-copy and online publications cover the news of Otsego County by putting the community back into the newspaper. We are funded entirely by advertising and subscriptions. With your support, we continue to offer local, independent reporting that is not influenced by commercial or political ties.
