More than 6,000 people have now subscribed to MEN Premium, helping to secure the future of journalism about Greater Manchester, for Greater Manchester and rooted in Greater Manchester. The response since the launch in November has been hugely encouraging.
Every new subscription is a vote of confidence in what the newsroom does and a recognition that original local journalism is worth supporting. Times are tough and finances are tight, but quality journalism costs money. There is no licence fee paying for the Manchester Evening News, no trust fund, and no millionaire owner.
Why subscriptions matter
When the MEN sends a reporter to court, puts a journalist on a major investigation, sends photographers and reporters to the scene of a major incident, spends weeks uncovering what is happening inside a public service, or sits down with someone whose story needs to be heard, it is investing time and resources. Asking readers to support that journalism is about making sure it can continue.
Some journalism is paid for via adverts on the site, but this has become more challenging because the way some people find the site—such as Google or Facebook—keeps changing and does not always show content even when the MEN is first or has the most up-to-date coverage. Many readers prefer the ad-lite experience that Premium offers.
What Premium means
Premium does not mean everything published goes behind a paywall. The MEN will continue to cover breaking news and major incidents, report political announcements and decisions that affect everyone, and provide essential public service information. But unlimited access to everything published, including the most ambitious original journalism, requires a subscription to MEN Premium. The simple reason is that the subscription helps pay for the journalism.
Over the past year, Greater Manchester has given the MEN no shortage of stories that matter. Reporters were there when terror struck the region, breaking the news of the synagogue attack in Crumpsall on Yom Kippur and reporting from within the Jewish community as the full impact became clear. They investigated the £46m failure of Greater Manchester Police's computer system and examined the consequences for the force and the people it serves. They have investigated auditors, the far right, rogue landlords, paedophiles, and council scandals.
Impact and recognition
The MEN has reported on homelessness not simply as a statistic, but by going into the places where people are living and listening to those caught in a crisis increasingly visible on the streets of towns and cities. It has campaigned successfully for bus passes for children living in temporary accommodation and helped the Corinthians women's football team in their campaign to get an apology from the FA.
The coverage has included the political upheaval that has transformed Greater Manchester, from Andy Burnham's departure and the Makerfield by-election to the extraordinary contest to replace him as mayor. The journalism does not stop when the politicians go home. The MEN is read by millions of people across the country, but its journalism is rooted in the streets, towns, and communities of Greater Manchester.
The work has been recognised at the Regional Press Awards and at the prestigious AOP Awards. Investigations, original reporting, political journalism, live news, and features are designed not simply to attract a click, but to make a difference. Subscribing is not just buying access to a website; it is helping fund reporters who can spend time investigating a story and helping hold powerful organisations to account.
Every subscription strengthens the ability to do journalism that matters. To those who have already subscribed to MEN Premium, the support means more than they might realise. To those who have not, the MEN would love them to join.
