A few weeks ago, I asked Blaine and Birch Bay readers to tell us what you think of The Northern Light.
This is always a slightly terrifying thing for a newspaper publisher to do. It is basically the professional equivalent of asking, “So, how am I doing?” and then discovering the other person has brought notes.
Well, the first notes are in.
This is still a very small sample, so nobody should alert the polling desk at CNN. But even these first responses tell me something important about what readers value and what you want us to protect as we begin making changes to the paper.
First: You really, really like the print newspaper.
Our first respondents overwhelmingly told us they read The Northern Light in print. One reader called it “an old school newspaper” and said their household looks forward to it every week.
I love that.
Because one of the things I’ve been thinking about since taking responsibility for The Northern Light is that there is something unusually democratic about a newspaper that simply arrives at thousands of homes every week. You don’t have to subscribe to an app, remember a password, appease an algorithm or already know something important happened in order to find out about it.
It just shows up.
You also made it clear that you want us doing the fundamental work of a local newspaper: covering local government, public safety, community events and the decisions that shape what happens here.
One reader specifically praised our reporting on the Port of Bellingham’s no-bid contracts, calling it “top notch, investigative journalism by such a small paper.”
I may have printed that one out.
But there’s also a clear request for both watchdog journalism and the stories that remind us why we like living here in the first place.
One reader asked for more about “the fun things people are doing locally.” Another wants more attention to how development affects area resources. Readers told us they value letters to the editor because they want to know what their neighbors are thinking. And one person specifically said they appreciate factual reporting without personal or editorial opinions creeping into the news.
Those are good marching orders.
Then there was this:
“The font choices in the paper are wild (not in a good way).”
Fair.
The reader elaborated that one recent page had so many typefaces it was “like wearing stripes and plaid.”
Also fair.
And, conveniently, something we were already fixing. Beginning with our redesign, you’ll see a much cleaner and more consistent visual system — fewer competing typefaces, clearer hierarchy and pages that should be easier to navigate.
So: less stripes-with-plaid. Message received.
One reader suggested we establish a monthly donation program similar to public radio and television.
Funny you should mention that.
This fall, we’re launching The Northern Light membership program, and we’re starting with a pretty simple proposition: If you value having reporters in Blaine covering this community every week, help us pay for them.
Membership begins at $15 a month, with additional levels at $25, $50, $75 and $100.
Even at that entry level, supporting The Northern Light costs less than a full year of subscribing to nearby regional newspapers.
But there’s an important difference.
The Northern Light isn’t trying to cover your neighborhood from somewhere else. We are here.
Our newsroom is in Blaine. Our reporters cover Blaine City Council, Blaine schools, Birch Bay, Semiahmoo, the border, the port, local businesses, public safety and the people who make this place interesting.
And because we’re a community newspaper, we are accountable to the people who live here.
You.
We did the math on what meaningful community support could look like, and the number surprised me.
We need about 300 neighbors giving between $15 and $100 a month to generate enough funds to supplement reporter salaries and keep The Northern Light printing.
There’s something I really like about that model. Instead of depending almost entirely on advertisers to determine whether this newspaper survives, hundreds of people who actually live here get to say, “Yes. We want this.”
Advertising will remain an important part of supporting The Northern Light. So will local businesses. But membership gives readers a seat at the table, too.
And that’s important because we’re not interested in preserving The Northern Light in amber.
We’re building its next version with you.
These first responses are only the beginning. I don’t want to pretend a handful of people represent Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo. They don’t.
So keep the notes coming.
Tell us what you love. Tell us what drives you nuts. Tell us what we’re missing. Become a member if you believe this community should continue having journalists whose job is simply to pay attention to this place.
This newspaper belongs here.
And its future should be decided here, too.
