May 29, 2026

A message to our readers

29 May 2026

The Teesdale Mercury is proud to have been the voice of the dale since 1854.

Throughout the years, our mission has remained the same, to bring you the most extensive coverage of Teesdale we possibly can while remaining independent of political parties, private interests and government.

However, it is no secret that the journalism industry faces serious challenges.

Just like everyone else, the industry is feeling the pinch – many of our traditional sources of income have shrunk dramatically in recent years, with the likes of Google and Facebook hoovering up most of the online advertising revenue while spending little on journalism.

We still put out a paper every Friday. But the world has changed a lot since the newspaper was first published in 1854.

Our website allows us to reach more people than ever before, but the simple truth is, giving all our stories away for free online is no longer a sustainable business model.

We know many people have become accustomed to receiving news online for free, but our journalism costs money to produce.

That is why we are now asking you to pay a small fee – 40p – to read some of our premium articles, while most of our stories will remain free to read.

We have introduced a secure system called Axate, which allows you to top up your virtual wallet to read those selected articles.

After you have paid for two articles in a week, you have unlimited access for the rest of the week.

A bit like a cover price, for only 80p a week. The more you read, the better value you get.

And for our regular online readers, we also offer great value subscriptions for only £3 a month or £30 a year.

The income this generates will help us sustain and build on our commitment to quality journalism.

We know this move will not be popular with everyone.

However, those who support the new system online can be assured they are helping to secure the future of the Mercury and support independent journalism.