Welcome to the club for the Independently minded

This week marks the start of a bold new chapter for The Independent. If you are reading this message, thank you – you are one of the first members of Independent Minds, a scheme designed to offer the very best of The Independent to our most loyal, engaged readers.

Here we go, some might say, another paywall, or another begging bowl handed round by an editor in need of funding, right? Well, partly, but since our readers usually demand the full story, here’s ours.

First, all our journalism is not disappearing behind a paywall. As journalists, we love to think of our work being read by millions around the world. It’s a force for good, and everyone needs trustworthy news. What we are doing is offering extra pieces – articles we wouldn’t have created otherwise – and reserving these for our Independent Minds members. You’ll see these on the homepage each day, marked out by the gold type and logo (do you like the logo? Tell me what you think at editor@independent.co.uk).

Independent Minds' exclusives currently include an extraordinary piece of reporting from Bel Trew who, in northern Iraq, visited the orphans whose parents were members of Isis, and a long read feature by John Rentoul, asking whether the rise of populism – from Trump to Brexit – came about because of the previous world order, and Obama and Blair in particular.

Do you disagree with John? I hope at least some of you will. We wouldn’t be independently minded if we all nodded along. As a member, you can disagree (you can agree too, of course) by posting a message in the new “Independent Minds Comments” area at the bottom of the article, where journalists including Robert, Bel, myself and many more will be able to respond. We hope this creates a space for thought-provoking debate, as opposed to the frenetic exchanges on most online message boards.

Want to read about something else altogether? Then tell us. Scroll down the homepage and you will see a box titled “Ask The Independent”. Let us know what issues concern you most and we will try to respond with an editorial or InFact in-depth feature looking at that subject. We hope that our members will play a significant role in steering the future of our journalism, and this feature is just the start.

You can also take a look at the events we have coming up for you (free of charge for members) – it would be wonderful to meet you face-to-face. And you can download a free ebook or two, or three, today. More will be available each month. I can recommend 10 Speeches That Changed The World – For Better or Worse, with a foreword by the brilliant and prolific Sean O’Grady.

Most importantly, I hope that, by enjoying these new perks, you’re also helping to change The Independent’s world, and very much for the better. Because this is a begging bowl of sorts. Our journalism is expensive. It takes great investment – along with skill and courage – for Bel to visit the orphanages in Iraq, and to stay safe. So the final membership benefit I need to tell you about is something you won’t get: advertising. Throughout the site, and in the new Independent Minds app, you’ll be able to read without interruption or distraction, and enjoy our new design at its best.

There was a time when this industry benchmarked pricing against the cost of a cup of coffee: a former executive at the paper would say that your morning brew should cost the same as your daily news. Now we’re asking for just 15p a day if you subscribe annually for £55, or 20p if you choose the £5.99 monthly option – a small price to pay, we hope you’ll agree, to help safeguard the future of The Independent’s free-thinking, buccaneering, outspoken, honest, courageous journalism.

Yours,

Christian Broughton​
Editor