We need your help to ensure the future of local news in Newark

The give and take of our readers has been interesting to watch on Facebook this past week.

"Want me to pay to read the news? Ha!" one person wrote.

"That tends to be what does when in need of a service like news," another reader wrote in response.

Both supporters of what we do and critics have taken notice to changes in how people can access our news online.

What are the changes?

We've had a paywall on our site for years, but until last week, if you were coming to an article from social media, our content was free to view. 

Today, if a reader is accessing more than five stories in a 30-day period, we will ask them to subscribe to continue reading our work, regardless of which source they use to find our journalism. Many people hit that limit almost immediately last week.

Journalists that would like to serve the community

At The Advocate, we have 10 journalists dedicated to sharing the stories of our community. They work hard each day to bring important news about Licking County.

They write stories informing readers about events in town this weekend or what new restaurants are opening in Heath. They spend nights and weekends bringing you up-to-the-minute sports content. They share breaking news to keep you informed of impending danger or up-to-date on the most important developments.

In addition to journalists' salaries, our computers, pens, newsprint, supplies and reporting aren't free.

Economic struggles

Many readers say that there are enough ads in the paper to support it, but that simply isn't the way it works anymore. Craigslist, Monster.com and other online sites have stripped billions of dollars from the news industry. More than ever, we rely on people being willing to subscribe to pay to produce the news you want.

The economic struggles facing journalism aren't unique to Newark. Just this past week the Madison Press in London announced it was eliminating its print newspaper and going online only. 

While we have no plans to eliminate our print edition, it provides a stark example of the need for people to support a community newspaper if they see a value in local news.

What subscriptions offer

And we value our work and our subscribers too much to allow others to continue to access the same content without paying for it.

Please do know that any story that is vital to public safety in an emergency will always be accessible and free for the public to view. We'll continue to support our community in times of crisis, but we need our community's support during the quiet times in order to continue to do so.

More:7 benefits of an Advocate digital subscription

Right now, new online subscribers can sign up for three months of unlimited digital access for only 99 cents per month. If you miss that deal, we consistently run special rates offering a year of digital access for $20, less than $2 per month.

If you're not ready to subscribe today, consider downloading our free smartphone app, where you'll enjoy more free articles per month and a nearly ad-free experience.

And if you're a print subscriber — even a Sunday-only print subscriber — you already have digital access, you just need to activate your account at newarkadvocate.com. 

While some may claim they can get their news elsewhere, I hope our readers realize The Advocate is the largest news organization dedicated to telling the stories of people of Newark and Licking County.

Others will certainly find ways skirt our paywall. But we hope you won't.

Benjamin Lanka is the editor of The Advocate.