So where did you get your news this morning? You might have turned on your smartphone or flipped on the computer and might have read other ‘Fake News’, but what won’t change is your quest for local relevant news. Without local newspapers, you would simply not have access to this coverage. No one would.
Community newspaper readership is stronger in smaller markets, as 83 per cent of adults 18 and over in all markets measured read community newspapers compared to 87 per cent of adults in markets with populations under 100,000. Traditional media are a trusted and valued source of news. Seven out of ten adults completely/mostly trust news from traditional media like newspapers (66 per cent), TV (69 per cent) and radio (70 per cent), BUT only 15 per cent trust news from social media.
Yes, you can get a flood of online information at any given moment, but the one you likely turn to the most, without even knowing it, is the one you likely take most for granted.
Local people used to spend money on advertising to support local journalism. Readers subscribed to their newspaper and might have placed the odd classified ad for an item for sale, local merchants promoted their goods and services and national advertisers published campaigns to shop at their big chain stores.
But this has all changed. Classifieds are now considered free online posts, local merchants spend more on social media and big box operators spend some on flyers, but more on pushing you to shop online.
As for the reader, they claim social media is covering the local happenings through word-of-mouth and you can find out all sorts of things. But a community is not well informed by getting sporadic, random reports about things that happen, or by getting the “official” version of events supplied by less than reputable or self-serving sources.
Local journalism is all about multiple outlets on the ground and verifying the facts of a story before publishing it, it is not a single source in a corporate office or generated by an army of unknowing wannabees. The parallel of communities thriving is not so different than what local newspapers may be facing. The difference is closing the newspaper can change the identity of the community and eliminate the one local business prodding and investigating others including, local government, to operate in the best interest of the community.
So readers ask all the time – why is the size of the paper shrinking? Are we doing less? The short answer is no, but newspapers are vulnerable to the same cutbacks and streamlining of any business. Local journalism should be supported for the same reasons we care about developing healthy and growing communities. After all, it is those local journalist who are supporting their communities, who tackle the stories that are important to readers and who are volunteers for local organizations. — Rick Major, publisher
