Crux is moving today - here's everything you need to know

Today is Moving Day for Crux. Preparations have been underway for over 18 months - but today we are shifting one hundred per cent to Substack.

This article explains why we are moving and why it's a win/win for Crux readers. Plus, everything you need to know about using the new system - it's easy, with great online support, but does need some reader input.

First of all - Why?

It's no secret that the media world, and social media in particular, has become more and more disrupted and dysfunctional. Facebook has become toxic to the point of being dangerous and anonymous trolls are increasingly empowered to make attacks without ever being traced.

It's also no secret that journalism in New Zealand is especially at risk. We are down from around 4,000 reporters to probably 800 or less. The number of comms and PR people within local councils and businesses has increased at the same time - outnumbering journalists by at least 8:1.

Crux is now running sustainably from a financial point of view (thanks to our existing Substack subscribers) but with only a single reporter - myself, Peter Newport.

We need at least one more reporter - probably two. Our goal is cover Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell with local reporters who can build personal relationships and provide the very best standard of public interest journalism. We also need more time to put in all of the work necessary to produce the highest quality journalism. Some important stories can take weeks, months or even years to produce - that's often seen as a win by the PR/comms teams who see "delay, deny, defend" as useful lessons from the global insurance industry.

And the benefits will be .....

So - the answer is to slow down. Advertising on the Crux website has never covered to cost of even a single sales person. General news (car crashes, media releases, fires, burglaries, requests for council feedback) are all useful for legacy print media to fill community newspapers (and sell ads) but we will need to walk away from that type of publishing - it does not generate revenue and increasingly is being self-published by police, councils and businesses.

The entire concept behind Crux Substack is to provide the highest quality journalism and a safe moderated space for intelligent, well reasoned comments. There will be only one simple rule - comment on the story - not about Crux or "that's not news" etc etc. We run regular reader surveys to get feedback on how we can improve. 

Finally - more of our content will be paywalled and comments will be limited to our paying subscribers. We cant do this job for free - just like all businesses and services. We need to hire and train the community journalists of the future. RNZ stories will always be free to read on Substack and likewise any important media releases from councils, businesses and other organisations, plus breaking news and public service announcements will be free to read on Crux Substack.

Podcasts, investigations and major stories will all need to be paywalled. That's the content that takes skill and time to produce.

A valid email address will be needed to join Crux Substack - for both paid and free subscribers - this is a necessary step to increase security around our Substack content and also allows us to know our audience. All email preferences can be adjusted via each personal Substack account - so it's your call on what you see, and how often. Plus you get access to the Crux Substack app and many benefits that we simply cant afford to do on our own as either a website, a Facebook page or stand alone App.

We've added some free trials and paid subscriber discounts to make it easer for new readers to join. Plus rewards for paid subscribers who introduce new paid subscribers. And here's a link to how Substack works plus total support - and here's a link to our Crux Substack home page. Crux Substack is a full website - just like the previous Crux website - it's just a lot smarter and much more connected to our audience. There's already hundreds of great local stories on Crux Substack - with much more to come. 

We'll still have a Facebook presence, and even the occasional general news post or share on Facebook, but all roads will lead to Crux Substack.