National Newspaper Week 2024

October 6 through the 12th is National Newspaper Week. This week honors the hard work of newspaper professionals and the importance of journalism. It is a week we newspaper folk look forward to all year. We put up our trees of newspaper clippings and place gifts of alcohol and cigarettes under them to honor the newspaper professionals who came before us. We share stories of the past with young people who think journalism is a 30-second video shared by an “influencer” on TikTok.   We cry ourselves to sleep remembering enormous classified sections and entire papers devoted to the Realty and Automotive markets. Some of us spend a lot of time looking at the past because we aren’t sure of what the future will bring.

It’s no secret the newspaper industry has suffered many losses in the last twenty years. Journalists, artists, photographers, press people, carriers, and more lost their jobs. Many newspapers nationwide have shut down or had to make drastic cuts and changes to their business plan. The industry has had to pivot and seek new revenue methods to replace the declining classifieds and ads lost to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Through everything that has happened, newspapers continue to do their best, strive to find the truth in every story, and share it with the world.

I recently met a former colleague from the La Crosse Tribune. He offered his condolences when I mentioned I was working at a newspaper again. That sentiment I receive from many people who hear I work at a newspaper. According to Statistica.com, the United States has lost over 3,000 daily and weekly news publications since 2001. This loss of newspapers across the country has led to what has been termed “New Deserts.” These are locations around the county lacking a local newspaper. In her book “Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy,” Margaret Sullivan writes of increased corruption in locations across our country that now lack a newspaper. Local governments, schools, law enforcement, and business owners no longer have journalists sitting in meetings, reading reports, or talking to community members.  Without the watchful eye of journalism, entities can do what they want and probably get away with it. Many newspapers across this county began reporting on and fighting corruption. We need that local journalism to live on and continue the good fight.

Your local newspaper still serves a purpose in the community. Statistica.com reports that 70% of you believe local media is more trustworthy than national news. We are here in your community every day with you. We know you. We live next door to you. Our children go to school together. We share the same hopes and dreams as any other community member. No one can tell the news about our region and people better than a local newspaper.  You may not always like the news we write, but we are here to ensure the story is truthful without taking a side. That is the job of any journalist. If you ever feel particularly upset, you can certainly submit a letter to the editor and let us know your thoughts.  

I love everything about the newspaper business. Watching incredible people lose jobs they’ve been passionate about for decades has been disheartening. Newspapers aren’t dead, and I don’t think they ever will be. Many small papers are making a comeback. I am passionate about the newspaper business and believe newspapers are not obsolete. Many small papers are coming back through community journalists and non-profit business models. Newspapers will adapt, but we can’t do that without you, our community. We thank you for reading our paper. We thank our subscribers and those who help support what we do for the community. Your support as a reader or subscriber is crucial in ensuring the survival of local journalism. We can get through anything together if we support one another.
Thank you for being a part of our community and helping us continue to tell our stories.