Local newspapers are just as important

When people think of small town weekly newspapers they often think of a paper that comes out once a week and that’s it. For some papers that may be the case, but I am here to tell you that our paper is the furthest thing from that.

From time to time, I run into people and entities that think weekly newspapers don’t have the same reach as dally newspapers and large TV news stations have.

While that may be true to a degree, the reality is that we are able to reach people across the state, country and even the world through our online platforms, just like any other news organization can.

Since I have taken over as the news editor and really since I started my professional career in 2017, I have been committed to immersing readers in coverage not just through our award- winning newspaper, but also through different things like breaking news, covering events live, creating videos and posting photos on Facebook of events, so people don’t only have to not wait a week, but more photos can be shared with friends and family members that wouldn’t fit in the paper.

When I got my first job in St. James, our online presence wasn’t very good. During my time there, I rebranded the newspaper as one that everyone in town and across the state looked to get their news first and to see the latest happenings of what was going on in their community.

While I was there, we were able to accomplish that and then some. How do I know this? Because during my time in town, I had countless people come up to me and thanked me for the amount of work my coworker and I did online and in the printed copy of the paper.

Since I have left I have many of my friends and people I knew from town tell me that they aren’t as satisfied with the amount of stuff they see online, but the fact is that they still go online and on Facebook to check what’s on there because they know that the newspaper, even though it’s small, has the potential to bring them the news fast and with plenty of content to see.

Since I have been in Dodge County, I have revamped the way we do things in order to give our readers an immersive experience.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from someone telling me how happy they are with our social media presence and our coverage in general of the community.

I don’t bring this up to brag but instead to make a point.

My point is this. People in the community have come to love their weekly newspaper for not only having top of the line news coverage in print but also for the experience they get online. The problem is that sometimes people and entities forget that we can provide this type of coverage and may not give us a story right a way or at all.

My hope is that as time goes on, everyone will come to understand that the community doesn’t just rely on us for their news once a week but instead they rely on us on a daily basis.

I don’t hope this just for my sake or the sake of the newspaper, but I hope for this because it will benefit everyone in the community.

For those of you that haven’t checked out our coverage online, I encourage you to check us out on our website, give us a like on Facebook and enjoy the coverage.