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17, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: I trust readers have been following the publisher’s informative reports on the decline of community newspapers. Matt Paxton mentioned that an average of 2.5 community papers per week shut down during 2023.
Why? There are the usual suspects. Most cite the old print business model. It doesn’t fit in with our digital age. Advertisers have flown to the clouds. Then some blame the readers, the young moving to the cities for better jobs, the rest of us to finally rest in peace. According to the last census, half of our counties and the home of most community papers have lost population. Then, of course, how can we not blame those with ubiquitous gadgets in their hands and ears. Is any news getting through?
However, I believe there is something else going on that doesn’t bode well for newspapers. It’s all about me. When the world beyond you is of no interest, why buy a newspaper? Besides, whatever is needed out there it is only a click away, no need to wade through pages of print that is about someone else’s business. And so it goes.
Maybe that’s it. Character. Your character is shaped by your concern for others, for your community and, unless you’re a snowbird, communities still matter. Character can’t be found in your resume; it’s what folks will talk about at your funeral. This reminds me of the good characters we have in these parts, such as the late Bobby Berkstresser. More read about Bobby’s goodness than knew him. But more important, they enjoyed the read. Whether or not to have an airport can get boring. People never do. Just a thought.
Matt tells us that he is upbeat about the future of community papers. That’s good. So am I. Maybe they just need to be reinvented. Your suggestions? DAVID REYNOLDS Rockbridge County
