Dear reader,

The threat of coronavirus, followed by the flood of information across America, has brought special emphasis to the value of local news.

So it feels appropriate to now have an honest conversation with you, readers of The Herald and heraldonline.com.

It’s more important than ever that you know what’s going on around you. The Herald has been your leading local news provider in York, Lancaster and Chester counties for decades.

In this perilous period, The Herald staff has been even more vigilant, ensuring that you have valuable information to help you remain safe, protect loved ones, and navigate your lives amid social distancing and strong urging to stay at home.

We’ve lowered our paywall for many stories so everyone can have access to life-impacting information. We believe that is the right thing to do. It’s also our responsibility since we are protected by the U.S. Constitution as the “Fourth Estate.”

It’s obvious that you’re reading our articles. Our online readership has set new records in the past two months. We will continue to give you access to information that keeps you safe and informed about COVID-19.

However, we’re also asking for your support. We want you to become Herald subscribers.

Many businesses that advertise with us have closed due to social distancing. This has had a devastating effect on our advertising revenue.

And, since many of our stories have been free to everyone, fewer readers have purchased subscriptions. Subscriptions are absolutely critical to our ability to sustain our level of coverage.

Here is a link to a special subscription offer.

If you’d like to help and you’re already a subscriber, you can make a tax-deductible donation to preserve local journalism. We have partnered with the nonprofit Local Media Foundation, which is accepting contributions on our behalf to continue our COVID-19 coverage

As newsroom staffs have shrunk, so has coverage for some areas. We want to continue providing relevant, compelling, fair, accurate news in all three of our counties.

If you see value in what we’re doing, and if you can support us, please donate.

This is a crucial time for local news, and The Herald takes its role seriously. Please support our efforts.

The Herald - COVID-19 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association. LMF is raising funds for educational activities; specifically, to educate the public on COVID-19 issues. LMF is providing funds to this news organization and many others to support this important educational project. All money raised by this effort will go directly to support COVID-19 reporting, to make sure the public has essential facts on this important topic.

The Herald Reporting Fund - COVID-19 Local News Fund

Support The Herald’s local journalists as they cover York, Lancaster and Chester counties