I attended the last symposium at Grinnell College on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 4:15. This event consisted of a panel of Grinnell College alums who run their own community newspapers. These fellows were asked questions by a moderator, and by the crowd at the end of the session. The main focus of this symposium was how community newspapers were far better off than large metro papers. Due to at home budget cuts, families are reducing their money spent on newspapers. Community papers are more likely to stay, because they share a more intimitate relationship with their readers. It is estimated that 90% of the local market receives contact with local newspapers. Newspapers like The Grinnell Herald Register provide more relevant information to its readers such as how the Cross Country team did or information about the new Grinnell College President. Another reason why local newspapers are seeing more success is their “watch dog” attitude. Many people are unable, or don’t know about water conservation meetings, school board meetings, or any other events that make decisions affecting our community. These newspapers report on these events and allow readers to be informed on what is going on.
It seems that community newspapers are coming out on top right now, but what about the information in metro-dailies that isn’t covered in a local paper? The internet is taking a lot of the blame for that. Many large news companies post stories online, absolutely free. If you want to know about the Ed Thomas murder, (which wouldn’t be found in a local paper) instead of buying a daily paper, you could go online for the information absolutely free.
I can definitely relate with this issue because my family has done the same thing. We used to receive The Des Moines Register, but it just became too pricey. We now only get The Grinnell Herald Register. The panelists all agreed that news agencies are crazy for providing news online for free. I agree with them in saying that online news sites should require a paid subscription. I believe it is necessary to do this if metro-daily newspapers want to remain living in the future.
Buen comienzo