Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Newspapers have had an important role in our country since the very inception of our nation. One of the biggest political issues in colonial America was free speech and the right of citizens to speak against a tyrannical government. At the very heart of free speech was the role of the newspaper. It provided information and news that helped form public opinion with the understanding that, in a democracy, the electorate needs to be adequately informed so it might make enlightened decisions. From our nation’s infancy, newspapers provided the information that allowed the public to go to the polls, educated on the issues of the day.
When drafting the Constitution, our founding fathers felt so strongly about the free press their first action was to draft the First Amendment to ensure the press had certain freedoms and rights, which could not be impinged upon. In no small way, the freedoms recognized in the other constitutional amendments are dependent on the protections that exist in the First Amendment. Our founders understood a voter without knowledge is simply a political token making decisions with the art of a blind chess player.
With those constitutional rights in place, our nation’s newspapers helped our society as it formed opinions on the issues of the day. Whether it be the Monroe Doctrine, slavery, tariffs, women’s rights, war, or economic growth, American newspapers reported on the issues throughout our history. In their constitutional role, they helped ensure that truth, justice and fairness were consistently presented to the American voter. For many, reading the newspaper has been a way of life.
With the passage of time came radio, television, internet, and cell phones. Without question these technological advances have altered how people receive their news. No longer are people reviewing the daily results of the New York Stock Exchange by newsprint. They no longer grab the morning paper to see the results of last night’s baseball game, nor the late-night results of the local election. Some forms of communication are now “faster” than newspapers, but are they as accurate or as complete and as balanced?
The demise of the newspaper has been predicted again and again, and yet good community newspapers are still standing at their posts, providing the public with the information it needs to know.
Technology may have provided an alternative to print, but the local community newspaper still does and will always serve a vital role. There is no more credible source of local news than the community newspaper. There is no other source who will professionally communicate the goings on at the school board, the commissioners court, or the city council. The local paper is the watchdog that works to keep greed and political corruption from being cozy in the comfortable seats of power. It helps readership understand a bond issue, planning and zoning decisions, and other intricacies of government.
Of course, the community newspaper is also more than just governmental updates and news reports. It reveals what is happening in the community, what events are taking place and when they will occur. It contains pictures that document the flood or a tornado, as well as the peewee t-ball game. It reports on those who have passed, and those obituaries become a recorded part of history that will never be erased. A community newspaper should not only reveal public issues to its readers but celebrate the events and accomplishments that are part of every community, giving people a sense of pride and ownership in where they live.
Newspapers are the canvas of your life presented to you each week without fail.
Tragically, some local newspapers in smaller and rural communities have closed because of rising costs and little to no advertising base to make their operation profitable. It is a sad and serious problem; so much so that there is pending legislation in Congress to support community newspapers through tax credits and business credits for advertisers who do business with their local newspaper. Legislators fear that without community newspapers there will be no one to report on local government, and rural America could become an informational desert — a situation which would have been abhorrent to the founding fathers.
Newspapers will continue to evolve. Digital issues will have more and more growth as people wish to access the newspaper from their phone or laptop, and whether they are in the comfort of their home or on the road. Through it all, your community newspaper will be here, providing you with information you want and need to know in both digital and print forms.
Recent polling reported by the Texas Press Association shows a significant number of people still want to receive their local news from the community paper. They place more trust in the advertisements in their local paper than they do in TV, radio, or social media ads and are significantly more likely to buy because of that trust. They value knowing what is going on in their neighborhoods and they like seeing pictures and reading stories about their friends and neighbors. They want a strong community newspaper to make a difference in their life in a positive way.
I am proud to be a part of the newspaper fraternity and believe we provide an essential service I hope never goes out of favor. I wish I could express to you the earnestness with which the professionals I work with go about their business and the important responsibility they willingly accept. We are not perfect but work diligently and proudly to keep you informed and to do so factually, fairly, and objectively. In these days of extreme partisanship, some readers may disagree with my statement, and of course that is their right. I simply remind those critics that being objective is giving a voice to both sides and letting the readers decide which view is the best. It is not merely supporting a view because that is what many readers might like to read. Confirmation is not objectivity. Newspapers have a duty to be better than that, especially local community newspapers.
Thought for the day: “Were it left to me to decide if we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” —Thomas Jefferson
Until next time … I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
