October 31, 2012

Low hanging fruit?

That’s how one neighborhood committee person referred to this newspaper when this community minded newshound asked about paid advertising to support their event. Well, here’s a timely tidbit for that committee person and the local business community that doesn’t invest in paid ads in their local community newspaper.

Without paid ads, community newspapers don’t exist to send an editor or reporter out to cover area events such as Halloween or an historic homes tour.

Without paid ads in community newspapers, there’s no reporter to break major news stories in the area, such as an over-the-top city department head who unilaterally, and with no collaboration with neighborhoods, decides to radically change 37 intersections in the city’s urban core, thus jeopardizing pedestrians and motorists alike. Without paid ads in area community newspapers, there’s no news organization to cover Chamber ribbon cuttings or the area Pop Warner football team (Della Lamb Saints) that goes undefeated.

Community journalism is alive in Historic Northeast and in communities across the state. How “well” it is depends on the level of commitment of area businesses that support an award-winning community newspaper. This newshound has said it before and will say it again. If community newspapers are good enough for your free press releases, we should be good enough for your paid advertising dollars as well.