NEWS should be free.

That is the cry I have heard from some quarters recently.

I disagree strongly. News should NOT be free. Like any professionally produced service it has a cost: people must be paid for their effort and expertise.

The payment most come from somewhere: the cover price of a newspaper, a subscription to a website, or from the advertisers who pay to have their marketing messages presented to the reader in the trusted environment that professional news offers.

The issue has been raised locally since we at the Hereford Times announced new digital subscriptions for our website.

Some people have been irritated by our decision, having become used over several years to reading online news for free – both on our site and others.

But these are extraordinary times. Local newspapers such as the Hereford Times are, like many businesses, facing extreme challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis.

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The lockdown has affected many of the companies who would normally advertise with us, and that has resulted in a huge loss of the income that subsidises the cost of professional journalism.

Meanwhile, many people either cannot get to the shops or do not visit the shops as often as before, which has hit sales of the newspaper.

So we are asking people to pay a small sum (less than £1 a week) because we want proper local news – produced by an editor and trained journalists operating under a recognised code of practice – to survive in Herefordshire. We think most level-headed people in the county do too.

In reality, they will still be able to access 40 stories a month on our website without paying, and will get an unlimited number of breaking news and coronavirus updates for free.

Those who do register will become part of the Hereford Times family, contributing to preserving an institution that has served Herefordshire since 1832.

They'll also see 80 per cent less advertising across the site, enjoy upload speeds up to 70 per cent faster and other benefits.

Subscribe now. Visit https://bit.ly/2yEB7VC

  • If you prefer to read the Hereford Times in print, but are having difficulty getting to the shops, we are currently offering a free delivery scheme. Call 0800 9530227 now.