Recognizing how newspapers make a difference

National Newspaper Week begins October 2.  While this isn’t the typical holiday that most families celebrate, it does provide a good opportunity to take a moment and recognize all the ways that local newspapers make a difference in communities across America.   

If you’re reading this, you probably already have a good understanding of why it is important to have a healthy newspaper in your town.  By subscribing to or advertising in your local newspaper, you are providing much-needed support to keep trained, professional journalists covering the issues important to you.  Your local newspaper is committed to being the local watchdog, covering city government, public utilities and school boards to make sure your tax dollars are being spent properly.  

But, there are many other ways newspapers serve their readers and communities, things even regular readers might not always consider.

Newspapers are reliable.  Unlike content you can see on social media, or even from national publications or cable news channels, you can be sure that news from your local newspaper is professionally gathered, fact-checked and edited.  Even the editorials and letters to the editor go through a rigorous process to get the facts correct.  You might not always agree, but you can rely on the fact that what’s published has followed the highest journalistic standards. You may not agree with the positions on your newspaper’s editorial page, but you probably realize that their goal is to provide you with objective and impartial news coverage in the rest of the paper. 

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