A Plea for Local Newspapers
This summer I’ve had the opportunity between college semesters to work and live in Salt Lake City, and in my brief time in Utah’s capital, I’ve come to love it.
One of my favorite things to do is walk around the avenues and other residential streets just west of the University of Utah’s campus, admiring houses which were built in the 1800s and 1900s — the early years, right after the city was founded.
I’m an old soul.
With many historic, beautiful homes to look at, I take special notice of the ones which have glossy plastic bags waiting for them each morning, heedless of weather or holiday; the newspaper is no respecter of either.
I send silent thanks to the people who have the paper delivered each morning, either from The Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News; to me, it makes no difference.
Salt Lake is one of only a handful of cities in the entire country which has two major newspapers operating in its backyard.
It’s not hard to figure out why.
A Pew Research Study in 2018 found that only 16 percent of Americans get their news from print newspapers, less than television (49 percent), news websites (33 percent), radio (26 percent) and even social media (18 percent) — people in the survey were counted in multiple categories if they consumed news from more than one medium.
The report states, “Social media’s small edge over print emerged after years of steady declines in newspaper circulation and modest increases in the portion of Americans who use social media.”
The study also shows that younger readers are less likely to get their news from printed papers.
Both findings cast ominous uncertainty around the future of the once popular news source.
Although the readership has changed, local news’ importance hasn’t. With national news, it’s easy to feel distanced and become apathetic to large-scale issues. And apathy is the killer of action. It is the reason many adults don’t take advantage of their right to vote: they don’t feel they can make a difference.
The local community is where most people truly have the greatest impact, but many sacrifice their opportunity to contribute simply because they fail to keep up with their city’s daily news. Local papers inform and notify on a scale which is unrealistic for national publications. They celebrate life on the obituary pages and bring people together at local events. In many senses, they are the lifeblood of a united community.
And they are dying.
Recently, my mom sent me an article that was reprinted in my hometown’s newspaper. It was about Anne McClain, an astronaut and a native of Spokane, Washington. Even while in space, she wanted to receive a digital copy of the The Spokesman-Review, Spokane’s local paper.
“Anne McClain is an astronaut for many reasons, with intelligence being one of the biggest,” the article reads. “And she was smart enough to know she could read her hometown newspaper digitally. Even in orbit.
“There are valuable lessons there — the biggest confirming that the smartest people in the universe read their local newspaper.”
In this media-driven age, anybody can post the “news” online where people may access it at no cost. We all like free things, and getting the news from social media is as cheap as it gets, in more ways than one.
Yes, local newspapers cost a few dollars a month. You get what you pay for or what you don’t.
To borrow a slogan from the New York Times: The truth is worth it.