The Minden Press-Herald reintroduced a paywall for its online content on June 2, 2025. The move has drawn mixed reactions from readers.
Leaders at Specht Newspapers, Inc., which owns the Press-Herald, say the paywall is necessary to sustain local news coverage.
“It takes a great deal of effort and expense to bring local news to our community,” said Editor Joshua Specht. “We send reporters to events, meetings, and other places to give a first-hand account of the news.”
Rising Costs of News
The cost of providing news is more than just paying reporters. Publishing a printed newspaper remains expensive, from newsprint and ink to delivery. At the same time, maintaining a high-traffic news website requires investments in servers, security, and technology to handle thousands of daily visitors.
“The business model for newspapers is changing and evolving,” said Randy Brown, executive vice president of Specht Newspapers, Inc., and publisher of the Press-Herald. “As the historians of our communities, we have to create a viable model to pay for that effort.”
Paywalls Becoming the Norm
Industry data show that paywalls are now a standard practice among newspapers. A 2024 survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that 69% of leading newspapers in the United States and Europe have some form of online paywall.
Even as far back as 2015, 78% of U.S. newspapers with a circulation above 50,000 used digital paywalls, according to research from California State University, Long Beach.
Pew Research Center reports that only 17% of Americans paid for online news in the past year, but for many local outlets those subscriptions are one of the few reliable revenue streams left.
Local Impact
The financial pressure on local news is part of a broader trend. A July 2025 report by Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack found that one-third of U.S. counties do not have the equivalent of one full-time local journalist.
Without sustainable revenue, industry leaders say, more communities risk becoming “news deserts” with little or no local coverage.
“Back in the days of paper-only newspapers, people had no problem paying for a subscription or a single copy of the local newspaper,” said David Specht, president and CEO of Specht Newspapers, Inc. “Paywalls are just an evolution of that.”
Supporting Local News
The Press-Herald has been published in Minden and Webster Parish for decades, covering everything from high school sports to city council decisions. Company leaders say subscriptions are the most direct way for readers to ensure that coverage continues.
A paywall, they add, is not about profit but about survival.
“Supporting the Press-Herald with a subscription ensures Minden stays informed and connected,” Brown said.