Guest Commentary

It's a bit premature to say the bell tolls for community newspapers.

Sure, big city media printing the same diatribe you see on television is declining. (That's because the city media moguls have forgotten their place in society.) And sure, with the Googles of the world, cellphones and social media have impacted our advertising, which, by the way, is how we pay our bills.

But in our community newspapers, we haven't forgotten our place.

Our reporters shop in the same stores, eat in the same restaurants, and attend the same community functions as you. Our reporters are "professional observers," not self-proclaimed "fact-checkers" scouring the internet trying to make a name for themselves with a "gotcha answer."

Our reporters endeavor to give you a "front row" seat of what's going on in your hometown. When news breaks, we do our part to keep you informed with correct information. We don't publish rumors, and we don't add a slice of drama-the way social media does-to the news menu.

News is what it is. It's real names, real places and real truths-no matter how uncomfortable. Real newspapers, provide the who, what, when, where and why.

That's the information that matters.

Somebody gets arrested in our community, we write about it, regardless of who they are or how old they are. Somebody moves here from Seattle and buys a house; we print how much they paid. The city council goes behind closed doors, we challenge the reasons for trying to keep actions secret.

We print the names of students who make honor rolls and Dean's lists. We tell you how your hometown athletes are doing. And we provide information about new and existing local businesses, and their struggles and successes.

In short, community newspapers impact people's lives directly, often providing just what you need to know to make an informed decision.

Interestingly, most weeks go by without anyone asking us to write about Congress, President Biden, or Gov. Jay Inslee. Honestly, most people have had their fill of the vitriolic attitude of reporters covering those folks and others.

I do get multiple calls when our newspaper is late. And, yes, many of our readers know exactly what time their weekly read is supposed to show up.

As I'm out and about in Eastern Washington, I've seen community newspaper stories cut out and pinned to bulletin boards. I've talked with readers who learned something new. And I've been approached by government watchdogs who thank us for asking the questions their elected officials don't want or refuse to answer.

Community newspaper reporters and editors even publish books, making sure the local story is told before some city slicker comes to town and tries to tell our story for us.

As we mark National Newspaper Week, Oct. 6-12, remember that having a community newspaper matter. There's no doubt community newspapers impact readers' lives.

-Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Email him at [email protected].