HOT PURSUIT

A few weeks ago, I picked up a local newspaper during a pit stop in Windom while on my way to the gigantic nutcracker near the South Dakota border. I usually do this while traveling to see what other newspapers offer their communities, but I didn’t expect the reaction I received at the checkout counter.

The clerk at the local Kwik Trip had a big smile on her face as she scanned the paper and said, “My grandson is featured in this paper as the student of the week.”

She was absolutely ecstatic about sharing her connection with the local newspaper.

She had no idea who I was, of course, or my connection to the industry. To be honest, it gave me such a warm feeling inside, even though it had nothing to do with the Steele County Times.

For me, it is pure gold.

Why? Because it was a simple reminder that people still value their local newspapers.

I share this encounter for one big reason: This week is National Newspaper Week with the theme being “Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth.”

In small towns, suburbs and cities across America, local newspapers are there for the moments that matter—elections and ballgames, new businesses, school decisions, celebrations and tragedies.

And, yes, students of the week.

Local journalism has a unique twist to it. It’s hyper-local, and that’s the beauty of the product we publish every week.

We are always local, all the time.

The stories we print are rarely going to make national headlines. And that’s just fine because they are the stories that matter deeply to the people who live here. That’s why local journalism matters.

We recently witnessed how vital our local newspaper is during the six-day Steele County Free Fair. Dozens of readers came up to our booth to share how much they love this newspaper. You could see the genuine appreciation in their eyes and expressions.

It’s incredibly humbling to have such dedicated readers who are willing to share why the local paper is so important in their lives.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the foundation that was laid by those who came before us—particularly the belief that a free press is essential to a free society.

One of this country’s most famous founders, Thomas Jefferson, once said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

As we mark this special week, it’s essential to reflect on why the founders believed so strongly in the need for a free press to cover this nation without government control, without fear or favor and without undue influence from powerful people.

A community without a local newspaper does not become better informed.

It becomes more dependent on rumors, social media, outside narratives and information that may not tell the entire story.

It becomes less informed, less connected and easier to mislead.

Accountability weakens.

We are determined to make sure that doesn’t happen here.

I hope people understand that a newspaper is not just paper and ink. It is neatly woven into the civic fabric that holds a community together.

Don’t let others fool you that newspapers are dead.

People still read them— especially when they are as strong as the one where we have excelled to become Minnesota’s best weekly for the past two years in a row.

As that clerk at the Windom Kwik Trip reminded me, newspapers still matter.

They are the heart and soul of a community.

And as long as it’s up to us, we will go in hot pursuit of maintaining that identity.