The days of online readers enjoying the The Citizen newspaper for free are over.
Starting now, folks who want unlimited access to our internet content at thecitizenonline.com must pay $35 annually for a subscription.
“Good journalism isn’t free,” said Publisher Jim Sherman. “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 The Citizen’s 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.
“We believe Ortonville and Goodrich want a good newspaper and we believe we provide that,” Sherman continued. “We want to continue the mission this paper started nearly 23 years ago and to do that, we, like any other business, need paying customers to support us.”
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) 693-8331.