Why we have decided to introduce subscriber-only content..

As the headline so subtly suggests, times they are a-changin’ and we are changing – just a little bit – how we do things at Armagh I. For 12 years we have delivered to you, the reader, close to 33,000 stories.

From the very first article published on the afternoon of September 4, 2012, until now, we have been privileged to bring you the news from across Co Armagh. We had our teething problems... from the early retorts: 'who are you?', 'what do you want?' to people really getting hung up on the fact we didn't put 'County' in the name when reporting across the county of Armagh. We thought that would be a given at the time...it wasn't!

From the proverbial side hustle in the bedroom, to a team of four and an office in Armagh city centre, it's been a fantastic journey and it's a journey we will continue with renewed vigour, despite the challenges all local businesses are facing.

Yes, some might call it a paywall, but we have decided, after 12 years to introduce a members-only section. While Facebook and Google has served us well, the big tech don't want you to leave their platforms.

We are proud of being in the community but rent, rates (I feel like we may have mentioned rates before somewhere), staff and generally running a business requires money. We do this without any outside funding. Our local advertisers has helped us get to where we are today and we are grateful for their continued help. We want to be able to dig deeper, cover more and that’s where we ask for your support.

There may be those among you who dissent to such a move and that's to be expected – why pay for anything you've got free for 12 years. What we would say to that is, we care about our local community. Slow news day might soon become a no news day...

For now, we might now stop being the only ‘shop’ in Armagh city that doesn't actually sell anything.

And as before, we are here to listen and tell your stories and that will not change. Our door is always open but please remember there is a magnetic latch – nobody has quite grasped the door yet! Breaking news et al – that will not change either.

Paying for some of our journalism will help sustain what we do best and make it even better (it couldn't get any worse, you say!) We would like to see it as an investment in what we do, rather than a transaction. We want to improve and this will help shine an even brighter light on issues that we simply cannot cover at the moment.

We know how much more there is to do and we hope you can support us on that journey. So, if you do see that dreaded message for subscribers only, do consider supporting us on our mission.

For those of you so diametrically opposed to all of the above, please unleash your fury on Facebook – we’re well use to it at this stage 😂 (we’d prefer you didn’t)!

Micheal McKenna, Editor.