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“Do we understand the devastating impact when a community loses its media base?
“Your local newspaper is your community’s ambassador to the outside world, if it were to disappear, who would tell your story and promote your town to the world?
“A Notre Dame study showed that where newspapers have gone out of business, the cost of local government grows more than 30% within five years. Not only that, but when communities become what is referred to as ‘news deserts’ (those without a newspaper or voice), that businesses decline, less people will vote, and civic involvement and volunteering dwindles. This isn’t just an opinion; it is a well-studied and supported fact,” wrote John Newby, a nationally recognized columnist, speaker, & publisher.
His “Building Main Street, not Wall Street,” column appears in the Pea Ridge TIMES as well as more than 60 newspapers and media outlets.
As the city continues to grow and leaders meet with professional planners to consider ways to improve the quality of life and govern the growth in a manageable way, many have asked residents to name the strengths and weaknesses, the assets and weaknesses of the city.
Having a local newspaper is an asset. How many people here do not know there is a newspaper in town?
I hear it all the time: “We didn’t know there was a newspaper in town!”
And, many young adults tell me they do not read the newspaper. They prefer to garner their information from social media and television.
When a new development comes in, when an incident happens that creates a lot of attention, they’re quick to get on social media and ask “what’s happening?”
Even as a child, I was told to “consider the source.” When one hears information, one must consider the veracity of the source. Anyone can say anything. They may be repeating what they overheard at the coffee shop or what their neighbor told them.
Do you remember playing the game “telephone” when you were young? Children would sit in a line and the child on one end would whisper a sentence into the ear of the person next to him or her. That person would pass it on and so it would go, down the line. By the time it reached the last person, it was seldom the same information given by the original source.
To be an active, intentional member of your city, your community, it would behoove you to know what’s happening. If you can’t attend City Council, Planning Commission and School Board meetings, then pick up the local newspaper to find out what your elected officials are doing and how your tax dollars are being spent.
News from the school and the sporting programs is also featured in your local paper. It may not make it in the big, daily newspaper, but in Pea Ridge, we focus on our local people and their accomplishments.
Editor’s note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County, chosen the best small weekly newspaper in Arkansas for five years. The opinions expressed are those of the author. She can be reached at abeard@nwaonline.com.
Having a local newspaper is an asset. How many people here do not know there is a newspaper in town?
I hear it all the time: “We didn’t know there was a newspaper in town!”