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Thank you, 1596 times.

Dear subscribers of The Friday Paper,

After two pilot editions, there are 1,596 of you, and every day brings more new subscribers. This is remarkable, because the last pilot edition was published more than a month ago – it means that people are still reading the newspaper, and passing it on. Thank you for choosing to share reliable journalism in your networks. We believe that this is what responsible civic engagement looks like in the 21st century.

Apparently you do, too.

The Friday Paper emerged in response to a specific crisis. Over the last year, a number of iconic South African newspapers have disappeared. Others have been captured. This represents a major threat to the health of our democracy. We think this country needs more newspapers, not less.

And the timing of the two pilot editions was no accident: it came in response to a call for applications from the Digital Transformation Fund, a new fund for South African journalism.