This excerpt by Tim Grobaty highlights the essential role that community newspapers play in society. He emphasizes that these local publications, often operated by journalists who are deeply embedded in the communities they serve, act as a vital resource for trustworthy information. In an age where misinformation can spread rapidly online, Grobaty argues that small newspapers help sift through the noise to provide accurate and reliable news. Their connection to the community fosters trust and accountability, making them invaluable allies for the American people. Grobaty’s perspective challenges the notion that the media is an adversary, instead framing it as a critical component of a healthy democracy and community engagement.
by Tim Grobaty
For the record, the media is not the enemy of the American people; that’s one of the more dangerous of the lies that are flooding the country today. Rather, the media, especially in the form of small community newspapers, is among the American people’s best friends and vigilant guardians.
In little communities all across the country, journalists from small newspapers—mostly weeklies—are the reader’s neighbors. They live where their readers live, shop where their readers shop, share their readers’ concerns.
In this era where bitter gossip and unfounded and malicious rumors travel across the internet at hyperspeed, the tangible and very real connection between a community newspaper and the neighborhoods it covers is crucial to the health of its readership. The best are still trusted, staffed with tireless and invariably underpaid reporters and editors who are charged with sifting through the cyberchatter and carefully researching and curating the news.
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