We’ve Taken Down Our Paywall — And We Need Your Support

Liena Zagare -
Our office at Bklyn Commons, though we will be working remotely for now.

Bklyner put up a paywall last summer as our latest effort to put this site on a sustainable financial footing. But I got into this work because I care about making Brooklyn better, not just to try to build a business, and it’s clear right now that what we all need is reliable, fast information amid a real crisis.

So we’ve taken the paywall down for all stories about Coronavirus, opening up access to:

  • Our daily briefings on the changing situation and numbers in Brooklyn. That’s often the only single place you can get basic information — like the simple count of cases.
  • Urgent, in-depth interviews with local officials.
  • Coverage of the campaign by Brooklyn College and other CUNY students to follow private universities in going online.
  • Updates on an unexpected commuting challenge: The Citibike system wasn’t ready for the surge.
  • Neighbors’ infuriating stories of encounters with the health care system, and detailed news of new cases.
  • Glimpses at the positive actions local institutions are taking, including the Brooklyn Public Library’s brilliant collection of health titles like, “Do Not Lick This Book.”
  • Early reporting on the virus’s impact in Sunset Park’s Chinatown, along with a guide to the best dumplings.

Please share the stories widely, follow us on social media (FB and Twitter) and get our daily newsletter.

I’m spending the rest of today trying to figure out which neighborhoods’ demographics put them most at risk. So I’m asking for your help directly now.

If you’re a current reader, or someone who has discovered the site amid this crisis, please consider subscribing now. We’re a small crew here, struggling through, but we need to pay the bills — salaries, prompt payments to freelancers, tech — just to keep going. We’re currently relying on the support of a bit more than 1,200 subscribers, many of whom signed up in 2016, when we nearly went out of business. Our advertising business has declined each of the last three years, and has gone down to pretty much zero since coronavirus outbreak started. It is unlikely to recover, I fear.

We can only do this with your support. I hope you’ll consider subscribing.