The news is a valuable commodity

News isn’t free.
That may seem like an obvious statement, one that perhaps is unnecessary to even make. But the idea that news should be free seems to be relatively common.
We see that theory most prevalently on social media.
Far too frequently, The Commercial Review gets comments on its Facebook page from people complaining that they can’t read the stories we’ve provided links to on our web site because they are not subscribers. They use words like unfair, ridiculous and cheap.
What we wonder is, do these people walk into McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell or Arby’s expecting free food?
Our newspaper is a product, just like a Big Mac at McDonald’s, a TV from Sony or a car made by Ford. It takes time, money and effort to produce. It has a price tag.
We understand some people don’t have the money to pay for a newspaper subscription. In tough economic times, many must cut back.
That being said, a year-long subscription to The CR costs $99. That number may seem large at first, but it works out to less than 33 cents per paper. In 2013, there are few things that can still be acquired at such a minimal cost.
We post updates on Facebook to help keep us connected with our community. We want you to know what we’re doing. And yes, we certainly hope some of those who don’t subscribe will be enticed to do so, or at least to pick up a paper at the newsstand if they see something of interest.
For our subscribers, Facebook links take them directory to the related story on our web site. Those who are not subscribers are directed to a page that gives them information about how they can subscribe.
We would suggest that if you find yourself clicking on things frequently or wanting to learn more about our updates on Facebook, that might just be an indication that our product would be of value to you. Maybe it would be worth a subscription. (We now offer a three-day online option for those who may be interested in a story or a few stories but do not want a long-term subscription.)
But even if you don’t feel the need to subscribe, we don’t think anyone should take it as an affront that The CR posts updates with links on Facebook. At the very least, you’re getting a free look at the local headlines in each day’s paper. (Not to mention the ability to see every local photo that gets published.)
It takes a lot of work from a lot of people to put out a daily newspaper, from the publisher to the writers to the receptionists to the advertising representatives to the production staff to the delivery personnel.
Some on Facebook say it’s insulting that we don’t give away for free the news we produce.
We take that idea as an insult.
We feel our newspaper has value. And we don’t think we’re out of line to ask for payment for that product. —R.C.[[In-content Ad]]