Local journalism is an important resource for the community
Riva Sharples | Editor
This week, newspapers across the nation are celebrating National Newspaper Week under the theme of “Embracing Local Journalism for a Better Future.”
Local journalism – that is, having a newspaper that focuses solely on your community (like The Republic does for Beresford, Alcester, and Hudson) – is so important. In fact, the health and vitality of a community is directly tied to having a local newspaper that covers life in a specific place, according to statistics from America’s Newspapers, a national trade organization.
Statistics show that communities that do not have a dedicated newspaper have lower voter turnouts and less civic engagement. People living in towns where their paper has gone out of business report less of a feeling of “community” in their towns and less cohesiveness. Additionally, there is a correlation between the lack of a community newspaper and declining population in small towns across the United States.
“Strong communities don’t just happen,” says America’s Newspaper CEO Dean Ridings. “They rely on connection — residents knowing what’s going on, businesses reaching the customers who keep them open, and citizens having the facts to make good decisions. Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can.”
Locally, Republic Editor Riva Sharples notes: “The Republic newspaper helps create community identity in Alcester, Hudson, and Beresford. Our paper is a place where we celebrate and mourn together. The paper provides important news and information for those living here today while leaving a tangible glimpse into the past for those tomorrow.”
Newspapers can engage all elements of a community while succinctly recording history for the future in a way that social media cannot.
Certainly, social media has a place in society as a space where people can vent and share opinions, family photos, memes, funny videos, and more to a circle of friends and acquaintances. But social media can’t summarize and record history very well or serve as a trusted and objective voice like a newspaper can.
“Social media is built on personalized circles of friends, family, and neighbors,” says Sharples. “Therefore, it can be hard to reach everyone in a community through it. Additionally, the biggest drawback to social media as a source of information is that there is little organization to it (posts are based on when they were made). There is no sorting of information to indicate what is most important or relevant to me, and it’s hard to trust all of the information that appears there. It can sometimes be hard to distinguish between paid content and advertising and other posted content.”
An edition of the local newspaper is like a time capsule, containing the need to know and want to know information for that specific week and time and previewing things to come in the community. A newspaper presents information efficiently, concisely, and with engaging design in a way that makes it easy for the reader.
A healthy community needs a healthy newspaper, says Ridings, and this is where your patronage of the paper matters!
“Subscriptions, advertising and community engagement make it possible for newspapers to continue earning the trust that communities depend on,” says Ridings. “A strong local newspaper doesn’t solve every challenge a town faces, but it makes civic life, local culture and the local economy all work better. Healthy communities are stronger when their local newspaper is strong. Supporting the paper is one of the most direct ways residents and businesses can invest in their own future.”
To subscribe to The Republic, call (712) 472-2525 or email RSharples@ncppub.com.