Person: “I don’t read the paper. I get my news from Facebook.”
Me: “No, you don’t. You get the local gossip and scuttlebutt on Facebook, but you’re not getting news.”
That’s a conversation I had with a friend of mine a couple of years ago. My stance on the topic remains the same.
Today kicks off this year’s National Newspaper Week, a week-long promotion of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada, and this year’s theme is “Embracing Local Journalism for a Better Future.”
Local journalism is the heartbeat of informed communities. It brings stories to light that national outlets often overlook – stories about school board decisions, city council debates, neighborhood events and local heroes. In a world increasingly shaped by global headlines and social media noise, reconnecting with local news is vital for civic engagement, accountability and community resilience.
Carolyn Nolte, President & CEO of the Florida Press Association and the 2025 National Newspaper Week chair, offers the following four reasons why local journalism matters:
People don’t trust “the media.” We hear this all the time.
“The problem … is that they lump all media together. They don’t ask about local, community media,” according to Bill Ostendorf, president and founder of Creative Circle Media Solutions.
“Our survey found local media is winning the battle for eyeballs and for credibility. We have new eyeballs and more eyeballs. If we create more engaging content now, we can change the way they view newspapers and how they value us,” Ostendorf said.
“Our readers were scared and they wanted institutions to help them,” Ostendorf said, reflecting on what we should have learned from the COVID experience. “We covered COVID the old fashioned way – government, medical, financial. But the COVID story was about what was happening inside readers’ homes. We need to learn to be all about people and relationships and how our lives are changing.”
People were scared, anxious, depressed and conflicted during COVID. However, they’re just as scared, anxious, depressed and conflicted today because of the political and ideological divisions in our country as well as the ongoing threats to democracy, freedom and speech.
In her efforts to promote National Newspaper Week, Nolte said, “To build a better future, we must support local journalism through subscriptions, donations, sharing stories and encouraging young reporters. Schools, libraries, and civic groups can also play a role in educating the next generation about media literacy and the importance of a free press.”
By embracing local journalism, we’re not just preserving the past – we’re shaping a more informed, connected and empowered future.
