The Local Newspaper

You need to read your local newspaper.

I know what you're going to say: "But I'm in a small town. You haven't seen our local paper..." Believe me, I've seen small town newspapers. The Mountaineer Echo, the small local paper in Yellville, Arkansas, once published a surprisingly accurate account of my brief visit there. The make and model of car I drove. The people I visited. My stop for directions. What I ate for lunch. This was news in Yellville.

USA Today doesn't cut it. Fox News generates more news than it reports. National news reports have no soul. They stick to general interest articles and meaningless opinion polls. Google News will keep you informed (we recommend setting up at least one "local news" feed on your Google News page), but skimming the headlines doesn't give you any local insight. For you to make a difference in your community, it doesn't matter what "America" thinks, it matters what your America thinks. There are two reasons you should subscribe to your local paper:

1. Information: You need to know what's going on in your community. From births to obituaries, the local paper does all of the work for you. That awareness translates into good conversation with people in your community about what's going on in their lives. You might pray through your city's current events. You may decide to seek out the victims of a local house fire or volunteer to help with a local after-school program. Don't just read the articles, either; local businesses, churches, and events are advertised throughout. You are surrounded by opportunities to serve, enjoy, save, and connect. Read all about them in your local paper.

2. Perspective: Let's face it- local reporters aren't the best at remaining objective. That's actually a good thing, though, because reading articles written from a local perspective will help you know what's important to the people in your community. The "man on the street" interviews may drive you crazy, but you'd be surprised at what get's people talking It's usually not what you'd think.

The best way to know your community is to expose yourself to what influences it. The movies they watch, the jobs they work, and the people they know; these things shape worldview. To be an influence, you have to know these things. To know these things, you need to subscribe to your local paper. Don't just buy it once a week for the Sunday coupons, either. Buy it and read it. In public. As often as possible.

Comments

[S.P. Gass]

Great article. There has been a lot of press recently about the "death" of the newspaper business, but I certainly find a lot of value in local papers. I appreciate the local news, local events, local politics that just aren't covered anywhere else.

[Caleb Crider]

S.P.,
Thanks. I called our neighborhood newspaper (a weekly) wanting to buy a subscription, and they said that I should save my money- they're going to an online-only version in a couple months.

I appreciate your site. I'm subscribing to your feed. Unless, if course, you have a print edition...