FROM THE EDITOR: Paywall coming to The Post’s website

I’ve got to admit, I’m not 100 percent thrilled to make the announcement I’m making here.

We’re about to put a paywall up on The Jackson Post’s website.

When we started in late 2022, that was one frequent question I got, would we have one, and my answer was always the same.

“I’m not in favor of it, but I’m sure at some point we will have one.”

Now while I wasn’t in favor of it in 2022, I’m still not totally in favor of it in 2024.

And just because I’m not in favor of something doesn’t mean I get what I want.

The leadership at Richardson Media Group – The Post’s parent company – trusts me enough to give me near full autonomy in making decisions that I feel is best for this outlet.

Only twice in our 20 months of existence have my bosses come in and mandated that we do something I didn’t agree with. This is that second time.

But here’s why I’m OK with it: Because I’ve had too many friends and readers tell me they don’t subscribe because of the website.

“Why would I pay a $50/year subscription when I know I can get the articles on your website for free?”

That’s a good point.

I imagine I would stop paying Wal-Mart, Kroger and Food Giant for my groceries if I knew I could go around back into their warehouses and get my family’s food for the week for free. Or I’d stop paying our restaurant owners if they were giving away their entrees and sides for free, so I get it.

So if you appreciate the content on our website, thank you. I want you to continue to appreciate and read that content.

And I went through this a few years ago with my previous employer. They had stuff called premium content because they didn’t want to put everything behind a paywall because of various reasons.

But we’re putting almost everything behind the paywall.

Our exceptions are stories that are of interest to the public safety. If God forbid a prisoner gets out of the Criminal Justice Complex or if a wanted fugitive is suspected of being in the area, that story will be free.

If there’s a missing person locally that authorities are asking for help in searching for, that will be free as well.

There may be other exceptions too, but for the overwhelmingly most part, everything else will be behind the paywall.

And there are different options to that paywall – you get access to the website when you pay a $50 print subscription for a year, a $45 online only subscription for a year, three months of print for $20 or an online only seven-day pass for $3.

This kicks in on Monday, July 1 with the content we upload beginning then. So everything in this week’s edition will be free and anything uploaded between now and then will be too.

About three times a week, a reader will say something to me like, “Brandon you need to get some help because you’re writing a lot.”

They’re not wrong, but more subscriptions and advertisers would help bring in some help, which I’m hoping to bring in some sports writing help in time for fall sports season. Any business owners interested in advertising can contact me via the e-mail address at the end of this column, and I’ll be glad to connect you with a coworker who can help you out.

Thanks for reading and subscribing.

Brandon Shields is the managing editor of The Jackson Post. Contact him at brandon@jacksonpost.news. Follow him on X.com @JSEditorBrandon or Instagram @Editorbrandon.