A businessman this week told me I was an idiot publisher and didn’t know what I was doing because I run a newspaper in Winslow and Holbrook, informing me of something I know all too well, that I would probably have a better chance of keeping the newspaper alive if I focused more on other areas like Flagstaff or Show Low. He affirmed that a city newspaper is so much better than having a rural one out in the country.
I responded with something to the tune of, “Well yeah, duh” and a feeling of confusion was written all over his face. Why was I not doing anything and everything to make as much money as humanly possible? Well as much as I could wax poetic about the city and the region I’m from and how it never truly occurred to me to cover any other place, I knew this man was never going to understand what I am going for. This businessman had forgotten, or does not care, about the utility of a quality local news source.
I think the people of this region deserve to be an informed electorate, much like any person living in an area with businesses ready to spend tons of money on advertisements. People here deserve access to quality information written by someone who is affected by those stories just as much as they are. I truly believe that corporate news has given many people the excuse to write off all news as biased and forget what happens when local news suddenly isn’t local anymore.
I am about 80 years too late to make a fortune in the newspaper industry and I was never disillusioned enough to think that this paper would ever pay for a life of riches, but I honestly think making the business viable for the long term is just a matter of being savvy and having a deep understanding of the places and people we cover. However, you should take all of this with a grain of salt because, after all, I am one idiot of a publisher.
