This week, Oct. 6-12, is National Newspaper Week.
As the week set aside to honor the importance of the newspaper industry comes to a close, it’s our hope you will continue to celebrate community journalism all year round.
After all, not many cities can celebrate their hometown journalists as the industry struggles amid the popularity of social media and many newspapers are no longer in operation.
But the Tribune remains strong, and our dedication to providing coverage of local events and stories does as well. It is our duty, after all, to fact check local government and hold officials accountable for their actions.
And reports have shown just how important a newspaper is to the community it serves. A Pew Research Center study found that civically engaged residents are more likely than less engaged residents to use and value local news.
“Two particular aspects of civic engagement stand out as most closely associated with local news habits: a strong connection to one’s community and always voting in local elections,” the report stated.
The George W. Bush institute published a report noting how strong local journalism can strengthen a community.
“Citizens may not like what they are reading,” the report stated.
“Still, they can know that professional journalists have been trained to hear all sides of a story, search out its truthfulness, focus on accuracy, and, importantly, publish corrections when mistakes are made.”
Since the 2024 National Newspaper Week theme is “Telling Our Stories,” several Tribune staffers detailed why they believe our work remains important.
“Local journalism is important to the community because, instead of posting on Facebook to ask about something going on in the community and MAYBE getting a correct answer, you can be a person who reads the local newspaper and already know the facts,” said city government reporter Tyler Juranovich.
KT education reporter Spencer Durham built on the report by the Pew Research Center when he added, “Journalists like to hang their hat on how we keep people in power accountable; we’re watchdogs. While those things are true, I think the true value of a local newspaper is informing the public about what’s going on. When more people are more informed, it builds a sense of community.”
And cops/ courts reporter Kim Dunlap, who said she is “always humbled and honored” when people share their stories with her, noted the importance of each article we print here at the KT, no matter the type of subject.
“Though not every story I write, especially with my beat, may be positive or uplifting, I do believe each one is important,” she said.
Tribune publisher Robyn McCloskey, who has only ever worked in local media, also stressed the need to celebrate community journalism this and every week.
“It’s so important to be informed,” she said. The KT staff appreciates all of those who have let us into their homes five days a week to provide quality journalism, daily on our website and for trusting us to tell the stories about those who make up our community.
We understand we have a responsibility to get facts right and provide quality journalism to Howard, Cass, Miami and Tipton counties.
It’s a job we take seriously and something we plan to continue for years to come.
© 2024 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.