This is an exciting time for community journalism

In recent days it has been very interesting and encouraging to catch up on some of the discussions that took place during the recent National Summit on Journalism in Rural America.

The summit took place at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, KY on June 3-4. Journalists from all over the country attended, including Mr. Al Cross, Professor and Director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky.

Mr. Cross wrote about the summit after its conclusion, detailing many of the highlights and painting a picture of hope for the future of community newspapers like the one you are currently reading.

“At a time when newspapers must get more revenue from their audiences, who won’t pay good money for bad journalism, there’s still plenty of evidence that good journalism is good business,” Cross said.

This is encouraging news as a staff member of the News Journal, as I can unequivocally say that good local journalism is our ultimate goal. Does this mean that we get everything right all of the time? Of course not, but that is certainly what we strive for week after week. We know that you, the reader, expects quality reporting full of insightful and useful information. We know that is the only way that you will spend your hard-earned money on our product, so that is what we set out to provide in each edition.

It was interesting from there to read about the many ways that newspapers like ours are choosing to move ahead into the future, with different approaches and business models being tailored to best suit the needs of the individual communities that the publications serve. One theme remains constant, however, and that is to make sure that as many areas as possible can avoid the fate of becoming what is known as a “news desert.”

Cross quoted Northwestern University’s Penny Abernathy when she described a news desert as, “a community with limited access to the sort of credible news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level and helps residents make wise decisions about issues that will affect their quality of life and that of our future generations.”

This, above all else, is what local reporting in newspapers means to our communities. It goes way beyond birth, marriage and death announcements. It goes beyond seeing your child’s photo in print for making a big play on the football field or basketball court. Those things are important, yes, but without newspaper organizations serving as watchdogs in their hometowns, the environment suddenly becomes much more ripe for corruption to flourish inside of city halls, school boards, and other offices that are charged with making decisions that will impact the livelihood of the community-at-large.

This is a topic that has been discussed on the editorial pages of the News Journal for years, but it holds just as true now, in 2022, than it did in 1992 or 2002. Perhaps even more so.

Another article that I wanted to briefly mention is one that I came across titled “The time to support local news is now” by Dean Ridings from the national advocacy group America’s Newspapers. In his piece, posted on June 9, Mr. Ridings states, “From watching the actions of local government, reporting on the state of local schools, tracking local health trends or providing the latest restaurant reviews and sales information, local newspapers keep a community connected and informed.”

The main goal of Mr. Riding’s articles was to rally support behind the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which I will let everyone do their own research on, but the point he makes above is universal. It really cannot be argued, regardless of what area of this country you are looking at. That is why it is so heartbreaking to see what has happened to those communities who have unfortunately lost their main source of local news. It’s a real tragedy, and one that I hope will never befall the citizenry here in the tri-counties.

Personally, I think that local journalism is here to stay for the foreseeable future in Corbin, Williamsburg and surrounding areas. I know times are different than they were ten, twenty, thirty-plus years ago, but this is a community that prides itself on its rich history and tradition.

The Whitley Republican. Corbin, This Week. The News Journal… Those names will play an integral role in that history and tradition, whether it be yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Thanks to all of our loyal readers, and we look forward to continuing to serve you for many years to come!