Why isn't news free?
It's a question you may be asking when you click on a story on our website.
It's a fair question.
Before I answer, consider these three questions:
Why aren't groceries free?
Why isn't health care free?
Why isn't coffee free?
They are all products and services we consume and arguably need to survive and thrive in our community.
But they all bear a cost to produce and to deliver to the consumer. In the case of health care, we're talking about the doctor's time, as well as his or her staff's time, the tests that were conducted, access to the equipment for the tests, the medication that was prescribed, etc.
They all cost someone something to provide.
In the words of an economics professor I encountered as a journalism student at the University of Missouri: "There is no such thing as a free lunch."
This legendary curmudgeon's reasoning was the elements that went into making the lunch - the meat, vegetable and grains - weren't free in that "free lunch." They cost someone something. The effort to assemble and create the lunch menu required resources. Someone had to pay the cost of providing the gas or electricity to power the stove and the lights needed to cook the meal, as well as pay the wages for those who prepared, served and cleaned up after the meal.
At the News Tribune, it costs to cover the news. There are salary expenses of reporters, editors, photographers, page designers, business office staff and press workers, etc.
And there are material expenses of delivering that news: newsprint, ink, computer server space for websites.
Those expenses are paid by those who consume the news we provide.
As consumers, we decide daily how to spend our money. The value we see in the product or service often determines our willingness to pay for it.
My father, an avid coffee drinker, would go thirsty before he would pay $3 for a cup of coffee. From his worldview, he's accustomed to paying 50 cents to $1 for a cup of joe.
His son, on the other hand, doesn't hesitate to pay $3 to $5 for a good cup of coffee.
It's a value proposition: I see sufficient value in fresh, single source coffee to pay the difference for a good cup of coffee.
I see a similar value proposition when it comes to paying for coverage of local news and events.
Some stories on our website can be read by all. For a few free visits per month, you can read those stories and determine for yourself the value of what we produce. But some stories will be labeled subscriber exclusive, and represent the investments our subscribers have made in journalism and this community.
When it comes to local news, no other media in Central Missouri comes close to the depth and scope of coverage of local events or issues as the News Tribune.
When a television or radio reporter attends a government meeting or community event, the resulting report, which will usually fit within 10-15 seconds of air time, will touch on some of the high points of the event.
When the News Tribune covers a news event or issue, the story will be much deeper and more valuable because it will provide the context behind the news, the background of what happened previously and multiple voices and photos of those affected or participating.
Here are a couple of recent stories we produced in which no other media either covered or just mentioned in a passing reference:
City, county leaders discuss child care crisis
Leaders discuss workforce housing
Missouri River Regional Library proposes expansion
Vintage Stock comes to Capital Mall
When a community understands the challenges and opportunities it faces, as well as how its tax dollars are being spent, its citizens become more engaged in the community. And that civic engagement makes the community better.
Community journalism is a bedrock of our democracy; its existence is vital to the growth and health of a community. To borrow from a popular slogan today, we really are "Stronger Together" -- if we are informed and engaged as community members.
If you're not a subscriber at this time, we are offering a special rate where you can judge for yourself the value of what we produce. You can access the offer here: https://bit.ly/3NocqRF.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. We truly appreciate your investment in the community and in journalism. Because of you, we truly are "stronger together."
Gary Castor is the editor of the Jefferson City News Tribune. If you wish to subscribe to the News Tribune, visit www.newstribune.com/subscribe. If you want to reach out to Castor, drop him an email at [email protected]