If you’ve visited our website recently, you might have noticed a request for your emails. 

We’ve heard from some readers who wondered if this meant Local News Matters was putting our journalism behind a paywall. Nope, still free! We have no plans to require a paid subscription to access our reporting. As a nonprofit, our news remains free to read.

So why are we asking for your email?

Number 1: It helps us know we’re serving real people, not bots.

The advent of AI has hit the news industry hard. Instead of listing sources, AI bots are bombarding our site and scraping it for information, summarizing our information without giving us credit, payment or anything else of value. 

We depend on readers coming to our site so we know what stories matter to our community. If real human readers aren’t visiting the site, they’re also not signing up for our newsletters — the most direct way we can distribute news to you. And they’re also not donating the tax-deductible donations that we rely on most to compensate the reporters, cover the cost of running the website, and pay for all the other things we need like insurance, technology and travel. AI companies are extracting value from local journalism, while small newsrooms pay the price.

Collecting email addresses helps us distinguish real readers from bots so we can make better decisions about our journalism and better measure our impact.

Number 2: Local journalism depends on relationships—not anonymous readers.

We’ve estimated that — at a minimum — every story we produce costs our newsroom about $500. Our reporters attend city council meetings, investigate issues that affect our community, verify facts, interview sources and provide trusted local reporting that helps people stay informed on the platforms they prefer to use.

It takes significant staff time and resources to produce the quality news you read for free. 

Unlike many commercial news organizations, we’re a nonprofit newsroom. We rely on a combination of philanthropy, grants, sponsorships, advertising and community support to keep our reporting available to everyone.

One of the simplest ways you can support that mission is by sharing your email address. It helps us know who you are!

Number 3: It helps us stay connected.

Your inbox is one of the best ways for us to keep you informed.

We send newsletters highlighting our biggest stories, introduce new features like our community calendar, ask for your feedback through reader surveys and let you know about opportunities to engage with our newsroom.

Understanding what matters to you helps us produce journalism that better serves our communities.

Number 4: It helps sustain free local news.

The size of our engaged audience matters.

When we apply for grants, seek sponsors or talk with advertisers, one of the questions we’re often asked is: How many people do you serve? 

In addition to the young journalists we train through our internship program, we gauge our impact through website traffic, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.

An engaged email community demonstrates that our journalism has real value. It helps us secure the funding that allows us to continue providing local news without charging readers.

In other words, your email address does more than unlock another article — it helps strengthen the future of local journalism.

One final note: we value your privacy.

We respect your inbox.

We won’t sell your email address, and we won’t flood you with messages. You can unsubscribe from newsletters at any time, though we hope you’ll stay connected.

Thank you.

Whether you read one story a month or visit us every day, thank you for making local journalism part of your life.

Every reader matters. Every email helps. And together, we can keep trusted local news free and accessible for everyone.

With gratitude,

Kat Rowlands,

Publisher of Local News Matters