Community: A smart investment | Editorial

On Oct. 1, we will begin asking our readers to pay for their subscriptions to the Issaquah Reporter.

By Josh O’Connor

Sound Publishing President

Good investments are ones that pay off, right? We can all agree on that. At the Issaquah Reporter, we think news is an investment that pays off in many ways.

Our investment covers the cost of reporting, printing and delivering news to households like yours.

After all, local news doesn’t simply flow like water from a faucet. Sure, at times, it seems to stream across the Internet and splash all over our smartphones. But reliable local news — the good stuff, the trustworthy information — originates with dedicated fact-gatherers.

Fact-gathers like the journalists who work at this newspaper.

As a community newspaper, the Issaquah Reporter and its employees get the chance to connect with thousands of local readers, to be front-row observers as our neighborhoods change and grow, and to have mutually beneficial relationships with area businesses.

Of all of these payoffs, the greatest is our sense of belonging.

There are plenty of social media clicks that will take you to cute kittens or stupid human tricks. But how do you learn about Issaquah High School’s standout athletes? The Reporter tells you.

And you’re probably familiar with publications and broadcasters who cover the “Seattle area” — sometimes venturing east of the lake (but often not). But what’s going on in Issaquah’s city government? The Reporter tells you.

Finally, national news outlets produce a drumbeat of news about the White House, Wall Street and international conflicts. But what’s the Issaquah business community up to? The Reporter tells you that, too.

If community news is a smart investment for us, we’d like it to be a meaningful investment for you, too. On Oct. 1, we will begin asking our readers to pay for their subscriptions to the Issaquah Reporter. The annual price will be $39 — and for that payment, you will also get unlimited access to our website, issaquahreporter.com and your Issaquah Reporter delivered to your porch every week.

Just as our newspaper enjoys a sense of belonging, we know that many loyal readers feel connected to their neighborhoods and cities, and care deeply about the future of the Eastside.

Whatever that future looks like, it will be shaped by leaders and informed citizens who understand the issues, the opportunities and the problems. And a lot of them will be regular readers of this newspaper.

Community news is an investment.

We invite you to subscribe at issaquahreporter.com/subscribe or call us at 1-866-848-0615.

Josh O’Connor is the president of Sound Publishing, which owns the Reporter.