We’re here for you in this COVID-19 crisis. But we need your help.
Dear readers:
I wrote in a column a few weeks ago about the extraordinary steps the Herald-Leader and other Kentucky newspapers are taking while reporting on the coronavirus pandemic in Kentucky.
After a month of non-stop reporting, those efforts continue, with journalists working around the clock to bring you essential news and information on the outbreak in Lexington and throughout the state. I remain incredibly proud of the work being done by Herald-Leader journalists, who have been there with solid, fact-based information in this time of great need. And I know our readers appreciate that journalism, with our site, Kentucky.com, seeing record amounts of digital readership in March.
Now, we’re asking you, our readers, to be there for us.
To be direct, the economic challenges created by coronavirus continue to have an impact on the already-challenged business model for local journalism. Many of our key local advertisers are closed, at least for now, and therefore have pulled back their advertising. This is the case throughout the country, and many news outlets have already announced actions like pay cuts or employee furloughs to deal with the economic blow.
Besides advertising, our other key source of revenue comes in the form of subscriptions, both digital and print. For the last four weeks, we’ve removed the paywall on all stories about coronavirus, making this vital public health information free so it could reach as wide an audience as possible. This week, the paywall will go back up on some coronavirus coverage and commentaries. To be clear, for now, stories that address critical health and safety information will remain free along with our coverage of the daily update from Gov. Andy Beshear and daily updates from officials in Lexington.
If you already subscribe to the Herald-Leader, this won’t affect you. But let me say thank you for your continued support of our journalism.
If you don’t currently subscribe in print or digital, I would ask for your help. You can invest in our work and our journalism by subscribing to our digital and/or print editions.
There’s one other way you can support our work in this critical time, even if you already subscribe. The Herald-Leader has been a pioneer in working with the non-profit Report for America to add journalists in Kentucky over the last two years. Those reporters, Pikeville reporter Will Wright and health reporter Alex Acquisto, have played a huge role in our coverage of coronavirus. In June, we will add a third Report for America journalist, focused on rural Kentucky.
RFA and community supporters like the Blue Grass Community Foundation provide grants to partially cover the salary for those journalists. But we also rely on community support to raise matching funds. Individuals, businesses and others can directly support this journalism by making a tax-deductible contribution at https://tinyurl.com/t6hf6e7. All contributions go directly to supporting Herald-Leader journalists in Kentucky.
These are extraordinary times, and local journalism is more important than ever. This is the Herald-Leader’s 150th year serving this community, and we’d ask that you consider supporting our continued work in one of these ways -- now more than ever.
Peter Baniak is the editor and general manager of the Herald-Leader. Reach him at pbaniak@herald-leader.com.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 1:14 PM.
