We hold authority to account, expose scandals, highlight inequality, promote good causes, and provide a platform for local people
Tweet by @EnfieldDispatch on 24 August 2022
The editor of Enfield Dispatch has taken to social media appealing for more readers of the borough's only community newspaper to support it financially.
Enfield's free community newspaper is currently running at a loss and is appealing to readers to support it financially
Writing on Twitter, James Cracknell has revealed that the paper's current monthly income has fallen below £5000, when the cost of printing and distribution is close to £6000. He is appealing for more people who read the printed paper or follow its journalism online to help support it by becoming "members", which entails paying a regular subscription, starting as low as £3 a month. Currently, the Dispatch's 121 members - a vanishingly small proportion of the borough's population of more than 330,000 - provide around 12 per cent of its operational costs. More income from this stream would make the paper less affected by fluctuations in advertising revenue.
In another Twitter thread, the head of Enfield Dispatch's publisher, Social Spider CIC, pointed out that their three borough-wide papers - the other two are Waltham Forest Echo and Haringey Community Press - are the biggest circulation titles in their boroughs and the only ones with local offices. The three papers employ seven locally based journalists, while the main publisher of established local papers employs none. David Floyd went on to write that if each of the three titles had a thousand supporters paying £5 a month - still a tiny fraction of the population - they could double the size of their journalistic teams.
Enfield Dispatch: We need your help
We are looking for people in Enfield who can help support us to produce more high-quality local journalism in Enfield Dispatch
We have NO shareholders
We have NO wealthy backers
We are run by a small but dedicated team as part of a not-for-profit community interest company
We hold authority to account, expose scandals, highlight inequality, promote good causes, and provide a platform for local people
Every penny of income from Enfield Dispatch helps us deliver more journalism in Enfield
The paper costs nearly £6,000 per month to produce and distribute, but monthly income is under £5,000 currently
We currently have 121 supporters who contribute around 12% of our income, but we need more!
Can you help us? Our membership scheme has many different options, starting from £3 per month, depending on your ability to contribute. Rewards include having a copy of the paper posted to you every month. Local businesses and charities can also sign up and, from as little as £10 per month, access discounts on advertising.
Find out more at: enfielddispatch.co.uk/join
Source: Tweet by @EnfieldDispatch posted on 24 August 2022
