We’re getting better at explaining just how catastrophic the corporate takeover of newspapers in America has been. Media insiders have understood for decades that newspapers weren’t dying — they were being murdered. Now we’re finally saying it out loud, and in ways that make sense to the general public. It’s a significant improvement from sounding like (or even believing) we’re all on borrowed time.
It’s great that we’re able to better convey this to news consumers and advertising partners or donors. But does it matter? Is it too late? What will the impact of this messaging look like?
Well, within the news business, it looks like individual reinvestment. Expats from corporate outlets buying small, community newspapers, or whole chains thereof. Start-ups in news deserts — or, more specifically, start-ups that target communities that have never been well served by legacy publications. Seasoned reporters jumping aboard online outlets with local focus and national funding support. And, perhaps most critically, collaboration across these formats where there once was competition — a tug of war that was waged by journalists but also only perceived by those journalists, not the communities they served. Iron sharpens iron and competition for scoops can be great, yes, but it’s almost always been the opposite in recent years as outlets scrambled to do more online with fewer journalists.
As a community paper publisher in a rural area, I’ve spent years combatting the perception that small pubs and local journalists are somehow lesser than the big guys. On the contrary, they are the builders of trust at grassroots levels, paving the way for a renewed appreciation for quality journalism.
Tony Baranowski is the director of local media for Times Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
We’re getting better at explaining just how catastrophic the corporate takeover of newspapers in America has been. Media insiders have understood for decades that newspapers weren’t dying — they were being murdered. Now we’re finally saying it out loud, and in ways that make sense to the general public. It’s a significant improvement from sounding like (or even believing) we’re all on borrowed time.
It’s great that we’re able to better convey this to news consumers and advertising partners or donors. But does it matter? Is it too late? What will the impact of this messaging look like?
Well, within the news business, it looks like individual reinvestment. Expats from corporate outlets buying small, community newspapers, or whole chains thereof. Start-ups in news deserts — or, more specifically, start-ups that target communities that have never been well served by legacy publications. Seasoned reporters jumping aboard online outlets with local focus and national funding support. And, perhaps most critically, collaboration across these formats where there once was competition — a tug of war that was waged by journalists but also only perceived by those journalists, not the communities they served. Iron sharpens iron and competition for scoops can be great, yes, but it’s almost always been the opposite in recent years as outlets scrambled to do more online with fewer journalists.
As a community paper publisher in a rural area, I’ve spent years combatting the perception that small pubs and local journalists are somehow lesser than the big guys. On the contrary, they are the builders of trust at grassroots levels, paving the way for a renewed appreciation for quality journalism.
Tony Baranowski is the director of local media for Times Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
David Skok
Stephen Fowler
Alice Antheaume
Gonzalo del Peon
Wilson Liévano
Chicas Poderosas
Janelle Salanga
Daniel Eilemberg
Sarah Stonbely
Mario García
Julia Munslow
Sarah Marshall
Joe Amditis
Cindy Royal
Rachel Glickhouse
Moreno Cruz Osório
David Cohn
Jennifer Coogan
Matthew Pressman
Julia Angwin
Burt Herman
Amara Aguilar
Jennifer Brandel
j. Siguru Wahutu
Victor Pickard
Cristina Tardáguila
Mandy Jenkins
Raney Aronson-Rath
Don Day
Simon Galperin
Brian Moritz
Andrew Freedman
Gordon Crovitz
Parker Molloy
Anita Varma
Stefanie Murray
Jesse Holcomb
Tamar Charney
Juleyka Lantigua
Megan McCarthy
Nikki Usher
Whitney Phillips
Zizi Papacharissi
Gabe Schneider
Doris Truong
Tony Baranowski
Richard Tofel
Kristen Muller
Christina Shih
Matt Karolian
Sam Guzik
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Ariel Zirulnick
Joanne McNeil
Joy Mayer
Mary Walter-Brown
Meena Thiruvengadam
Jody Brannon
Larry Ryckman
Catalina Albeanu
Errin Haines
Ståle Grut
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Robert Hernandez
Anika Anand
Tom Trewinnard
Kerri Hoffman
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Christoph Mergerson
Simon Allison
Millie Tran
Joshua P. Darr
Chase Davis
Natalia Viana
Izabella Kaminska
Shalabh Upadhyay
Kristen Jeffers
John Davidow
S. Mitra Kalita
An Xiao Mina
Michael W. Wagner
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Jonas Kaiser
Anthony Nadler
Paul Cheung
Jim Friedlich
Mike Rispoli
A.J. Bauer
Francesco Zaffarano
James Green
Joni Deutsch
Eric Nuzum
Cherian George
Candace Amos
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Matt DeRienzo
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Jessica Clark
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Melody Kramer