The days of online readers enjoying the Clarkston News for free are over.
Starting now, folks who want unlimited access to our internet content at clarkstonnews.com must pay $35 annually for a subscription. That fee includes having a print edition mailed to their home on a weekly basis.
“Good journalism isn’t free,” said Publisher Jim Sherman, Jr. “Stories don’t just magically appear. Somebody has to cover them, research them, write them and lay them out, whether they’re printed on paper or posted on a website. Editors, reporters and photographers are professionals who need to be compensated for their skills, effort and time.”
Everyone will continue to receive free, unlimited online access to the News’ classified ads, public notices, obituaries and breaking news.
However, when it comes to news, features and sports, unless you’re a subscriber, you will only be able to view five stories per month free of charge. After that, you’re cut off.
“We’d love to be able to continue giving people free access to local news, but it’s just not practical or wise from a business perspective,” Sherman said. “Just like you, we have bills to pay.”
Sherman explained production and delivery costs for the print edition increased 30 percent last summer and it would not be fair to raise prices for print readers, while continuing to allow online readers to enjoy free stories and photos.
“We value all of our readers equally. That’s why we can’t justify asking one group to continue shouldering the financial burden for another,” he said. “Everyone who enjoys reading about their neighbors, their schools, their government, their sports teams and their downtown should pay equally to do so.”
“We believe Clarkston wants a good newspaper and we believe we provide that,” Sherman continued. “We want to continue the mission this paper started back in 1929 and to do that, we, like any other business, need paying customers to support us.”
Folks who already subscribe to the print edition will automatically be given unlimited access to our online content, but they must provide us with their email address if they haven’t already done so.
Sherman said he understands that coming up with an extra $35 per year for an online subscription might pose a burden for some folks and he wants to help.
“Call us, explain your economic situation and we’ll see what we can do,” he said. “We don’t want to hurt anybody. We just want to continue publishing a quality newspaper that adds value to our community.”
For more information or to subscribe, please call 248-625-3370.