Introducing paid subscriptions

Over the past 10 months, I have published 70 bi-weekly press round-ups and 13 in-depth articles about doping in sport. With your help and support, I plan to publish many more, for many years.

Me earlier this year meeting the Operacion Puerto whistle-blower Jesus Manzano whose bravery was crucial in exposing systematic doping in Spain.

Dear Subscribers,

In January, I decided to create a newsletter in which I could share seven years of doping research with an audience who found it valuable.

Now, my newsletter is followed by some of the leading anti-doping agencies alongside 2300 of you who are interested in both the depths of doping in sport and investigative journalism. I thank all of you who have subscribed, pledged a subscription or reached out personally to offer your encouragement.

I’d now like to make the newsletter bigger, and better, and harness the power of this community to investigate doping in sports and hold athletes, support teams and governing bodies to account. There is power in numbers (more on that below).

I’ve wanted to show you the value this newsletter can offer, and I am committed to bringing you all the latest news and investigations about doping in sport. Over the last ten months, my bi-weekly newsletter has been a free resource, and has just hit its 70^th edition. I’ve published a further 13 in-depth articles and investigations.

To continue delivering the high-quality content you've come to expect over the past calendar year, I have decided to introduce a paid subscription model.

I run this newsletter, and investigate doping in sports, because ultimately – I care.

I have cared ever since I was a child when the American sprinter Marion Jones was caught doping as part of the BALCO scandal. Investigative and accountability journalism is what gets me up in the morning.

Talking doping on the Sports Agents podcast with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.

Therefore, I will always ensure that there is free content to keep the site accessible. Doping remains a key element of sport that remains under-discussed and under-investigated by traditional media platforms. Without keeping some of the content open, my investigation into the use of the anabolic steroid clostebol in Italian sport may never have been cited by the New York Times, the Sunday Times and the BBC in the wake of the Jannik Sinner doping scandal.

However, as you know, investigative journalism is expensive. It requires significant time, resources, and dedication to uncover the truth and therefore I will be offering paywalled content for those of you who would like to show your support.

By becoming a paid subscriber, you're supporting me and you're supporting investigative journalism into doping in sport. You will receive access to all my future posts, such as Thursday’s bi-weekly press round-up which will be behind a paywall. I am also available for you to contact me directly by email. Your contribution will also directly fund:

• More in-depth investigations: I have deep dives planned on doping in all the major sports. In the near future I will be publishing a long-running investigation about doping in the UK, as well as articles on doping in tennis, football and Spain.

• Time to research: Sifting through newspaper archives, reasoned decisions and social media to identify athletes, doctors and coaches of interest.

• Expenses: Newspaper subscriptions for the bi-weekly press round-up, archive subscriptions, long distance phone calls with sources, court requests and travel.

Ultimately, your support will allow me to continue my efforts to expose doping. It will also allow me to focus more of my time offering you value through this newsletter.

Lastly - back to power in numbers, and citizen journalism.

Much of the research I do is open-source, meaning that I sift through social media and court decisions to find key leads to start my doping investigations. It’s time consuming but anyone with a laptop can do it - including you. As such, I’ve always dreamt of creating a community of citizen journalists who can help investigate doping. The more eyes on such information, the more that can be uncovered. Therefore, I will be soon sending a post to paid subscribers explaining how I do some of my research, and outline a few tasks I need your help on.

That’s all for now.

Thank you to all of you who have subscribed over the past year, it means a lot to me.

If you value the work I do, become a paid subscriber. Your support will make a real difference.

Warm regards,

Edmund

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