Don't stop the presses

By Mary Powell

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
— John F. Kennedy
 
Change is the buzzword of the day. Politicians everywhere have jumped on the “change” bandwagon, promising all sorts of new and different ideas if elected. The mantra is we need change.

But for those of us in the newspaper business, the concept of change takes on a whole new meaning. Whether or not we change with the times will determine whether or not we survive in the future.

Oct. 5-11 is National Newspaper Week, making it an appropriate time to talk about the news industry and the challenges it faces, and in particular the way in which news is delivered.

How do you get your news? Or, perhaps a more relevant question is, how do you like to get your news?

If you are over 50, you probably are reading this and enjoy turning the pages of a newspaper while drinking a cup of coffee or eating breakfast.

If you are under 30, it’s the Internet, thank you. Easy, no papers stacked around the house, click on a headline of choice. Those in between go either way.

And then there’s television news. Cost constraints at local television stations dictate that their features often are canned, sensational tidbits about movie stars, providing nothing more in-depth than the local weather report.

If you do the math, those of us over 50 are not going to be here forever picking up the paper thrown on the porch or purchased at the local newsstand.

Where does that leave the future of newspapers?

Don’t stop the presses just yet.

When radio first became popular a lot of people said it would be the end of newspapers. Then came television and people said it would be the end of newspapers. Then the Internet came along and, you guessed it, the end of newspapers.
 
We’re still here. To be sure, all of those mediums had and still have a tremendous impact on the printed product. In the large metro papers, newsrooms are being emptied at a startling rate. But the upside is local community newspapers, such as the one you are reading, are alive and well.

No one delivers local news better than community newspapers. There is simply no other place to read about the Sequim City Council, Sequim’s athletes and students, who married whom, a countywide reading program, a walk that funds a free clinic, who was born, who died and on and on.

Newspapers, especially local community newspapers, build a sense of community by providing stories of local events, local lives, business news and politics. In fact, one definition of a newspaper is a community talking to itself.

And finally, newspapers have the important role as government watchdogs, to hold the powerful accountable and to give voice to the voiceless. There is no other outlet that is charged with and can take charge of that grave responsibility.

Through the editorial pages, local newspapers challenge, praise and provide food for thought on local issues. Through the letters to the editor, newspapers give citizens the ability to speak out and be heard on issues and events that impact their community.

So, while there is a decline in newspaper reading on a national level, it’s important to remember that community newspapers remain vibrant and strong.

That’s not to say we who work in the industry, including journalists, advertising sales representatives, graphic artists, circulation managers, and even carriers, shouldn’t look to the future and how we deliver the news.

Do we in the newspaper industry need to heed the cry to change? Yes. We need to respect and deliver the news in the way readers want it, whether that means in print, on Web sites or blogs.

Newspapers are here to stay, they are key to preserving democracy and the health of our nation depends upon what some are calling an endangered news species. Newspapers aren’t going the way of the hula hoop, to quote Jerry Bellune of the Lexington County Chronicle and Dispatch News.

It’s National Newspaper Week, a week to honor the newspaper staffers in all departments who work to connect you to your community.

And speaking of newspapers ?
The Sequim Gazette has won the General Excellence Award for weekly newspapers in Washington state — again. This is the fourth year running our newspaper has earned this award but it never gets old.

As I have said in the previous three years, think Oscar at the Academy Awards!

Congratulations and thank you to the entire staff at the Gazette, including Publisher Sue Ellen Riesau and owner Brown M. Maloney. A huge thank-you, as well, to our readers and advertisers for reading and supporting your local newspaper. Keep reading and we will continue to do our very best.

One more thing
Congratulations to the Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic and the community for its contribution of more than $23,000 after this weekend’s annual Fun Walk. A record 250 people joined in walking part of the Olympic Discovery Trail in order to raise funds for and awareness of the very important and necessary free clinic.
Way to go, everyone.

Mary Powell can be reached at editor@sequimgazette.com or at 683-3311.