Author Michael Connelly said, “A newspaper is the center of a community, it’s one of the tent poles of the community, and that’s not going to be replaced by web sites and blogs.”
He was wrong. And he was right, too. Kind of.
He was wrong in that many who once read traditional newspapers are now looking to web sites and blogs (and, unfortunately, social media) for news. That replacement is undeniable. One could argue that other factors — like out-of-state ownership, down-your-throat opinion pieces, editorial decisions by 20-somethings that alienate a paper’s older and most loyal readers, and the fact that each subscriber seemingly pays a different price — may be factors, too. But facts are facts, and significantly fewer people are subscribing to and paying for newspapers today.
He was right that community newspapers — ones with reporters that cover city council, school board and board of supervisors meetings, high school sports and activities, and the often-laughed-at and almost-always-read chicken dinner news — are tent poles of the communities they serve. These newspapers are sorely missed by residents in communities that no longer have them — or that have a sliver of what they once were.
The loss of this type of journalism in communities is evident by the decisions that many cities are making to hire “communications” staff and publish their own publications, websites, YouTube channels, email lists and social media sites. They feel a need to communicate more with residents, which is a good thing, especially since many newspapers aren’t doing it as often, or as well, today. Unfortunately, your taxpayer dollars are being used to do this, and it wasn’t necessary in the past.
At the root of this is a bigger problem, in that city staff members are determining what the news is or isn’t. The potential for cover-ups is certainly there. Will a communications staff member release information on a mayor who violated campaign laws or a school superintendent who was “sexting” on a school computer and district-issued email? Or will these folks “spin” these problems to show more favorable scenarios? A good reporter would have dug through the data without fear of retaliation and exposed these situations, many of which are happening in communities of all sizes.
Think about this when debating whether or not to subscribe to your newspaper. It may not be what it once was, but it still plays a very important role and is most certainly a tent pole of your community.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
