Newspaper Week: Local journalism counts
If the United States is to remain as a democratic republic — a government based on the rule of law with the people choosing their leaders in free and fair elections — citizens must be informed. They must know the ins and outs of issues and learn about various candidates so they can make decisions based on facts rather than fantasies.
And that’s where we come in. In this case, “we” means newspapers, currently celebrating the 83rd National Newspaper Week from Oct. 1-7. It’s a time to reflect on why newspapers still matter — whether they are delivered in print or online as the industry changes and adapts. Because matter they do.
Local newspapers, whether in Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Taos or cities across the nation, cover the issues and individuals who are changing the world around us. Just look at the news from recent days from Northern New Mexico.
Reporters are delivering stories government officials would rather keep quiet, such as informing Santa Fe residents city brass had withheld financial particulars concerning an audit and bond spending. The mayor and city manager didn’t want the state’s decision to keep 2021 bond money on hold in the newspaper; a reporter found out anyway, ensuring the public knows what is happening with its money.
Reporters and photographers are on the scene as news breaks, as happened last week in Española. A young man is accused of shooting a peaceful protester at a demonstration opposing a statue honoring conquistador Juan de Oñate. In that instance, reporters and photographers from various news organizations around the state weren’t just on the scene, they were at risk of being shot.
Journalists go where many people cannot, whether traveling to Lovington to deliver in-person coverage of an important trial on the redistricting of congressional districts in New Mexico, or staking out the border last month to show the impact of migration on New Mexicans. They serve as eyes and ears on the ground.
Then there is perhaps the most important obligation for newspapers — to inform voters and potential voters about candidates in each and every election, from the local school board to the race for president of the United States. All this week, our reporters have been interviewing candidates for the Santa Fe City Council, detailing their positions on issues and following them as they interact with voters. We’ll have other articles about the race for seats on the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education and the Santa Fe Community College board, as well as pieces about the proposal to tax high-end home sales and other November ballot issues.
Without factual knowledge, citizens cannot make informed decisions. Notice, too, the stories aren’t of the horserace variety — who will win? — but focus on the issues. That’s why journalism still matters, especially in a world where too much “news” is relayed via the gossip and innuendo of social media posts. It’s why newspapers must survive.
It’s no secret their longevity is in question. The internet changed the financial model that had worked so well for papers for decades, diverting advertising dollars online and leaving many local papers financially strapped — or gone. Between late 2019 and May 2022, the country lost an average of two newspapers a week, leaving an estimated 70 million individuals living in places that are news deserts or in danger of becoming so.
That doesn’t seem to be letting up, and it’s costing our nation.
Without fair and objective reporting, individuals seek out news from increasingly partisan sources — one reason, according to a PBS report from earlier this year, the nation is increasingly fractured. The demise of newspapers has other effects as well. Johanna Dunaway of Syracuse University told PBS that besides losing a shared identity, the shuttering of a local news source can lead to additional government corruption, irresponsible spending, less competitive elections and lower voter turnout.
In our state capital of Santa Fe, the independent Santa Fe New Mexican still stands, supported by local businesses and residents despite recessions, the pandemic and other challenges. We are grateful to our community. Come November, this newspaper will begin the celebration of its 175th year in business, still locally owned and independent, dedicated to delivering the news you need to know.