The Liverpool Echo has asked readers to consider making a voluntary contribution to the publication “to invest in trusted news”.
Contributors can make a one-off, monthly or yearly donation of any amount, and the scheme was launched this morning on the Echo’s website.
“For 141 years the Echo has fought for communities, held authorities to account and told the stories of Merseyside’s remarkable people,” the statement read.
“Our online news is free － for everyone. To help us keep covering Merseyside, we’re asking readers to consider contributing towards our work. It’s quick, easy, optional, and you can give as much or as little as you like.
“You’ll be investing in trusted news when it is needed more than ever. Please help give Merseyside the coverage it deserves.”
Ali Machray, editor-in-chief of the Echo, added: “The Echo has been covering Liverpool and Merseyside for 141 years.
“We have fought for our communities, held the authorities to account, campaigned on important issues and told the heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, stories of the remarkable people of this unique region.
“It’s no secret that our industry faces serious challenges – and at the same time, more people are reading us than ever before.
“Our intention behind this optional contribution request is to sustain great journalism; keep growing, keep improving, keep Liverpool moving forwards.”
The Echo is the first Reach PLC title to launch such an appeal after Archant began a similar scheme last month.
Sister title The Huddersfield Daily Examiner did run a subscription-free paywall trial which saw readers charged 25p for access to some articles up to a maximum of £1 per week, but the five-month trial was stopped earlier this year.
Newsquest recently introduced a subscription option across its regional daily titles, while a number of JPIMedia dailies operate metered paywalls.
The Yorkshire Post has also appealed to readers to help with contributions, with editor, James Mitchinson writing:
“First and foremost – and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity – I hope this finds you well.
“Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists – almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses – who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.
“And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.
“f you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.”
