Community newspapers serve as a light in the darkness

Lighthouses and community newspapers have a lot in common.

Both serve as beacons in the darkness, guiding travelers and locals alike away from dangerous shoals and providing the information needed for people to set a true course to safe waters.

For many people lighthouses are seen as a quaint throwback to a bygone era — they incorrectly assume that the thankless tasks of lighthouses have been replaced by technology with satellite imagery and GPS tracking pushing aside massive lights and fog horns.

Lighthouses continue to serve an essential role in maritime navigation and public safety. There are currently about 700 working lighthouses in the United States — at their peak there were at most 850 lighthouses in operation in the U.S. at any one time.

Just as lighthouses continue to be relevant to modern maritime transport, community newspapers continue to be as relevant today as they have been since the nation’s first continuously published community newspaper “The Boston News-Letter” began regular publication in 1704.

Technological advances have come and gone in those centuries of progress. Radio, television, the internet and now the social media platform du jour have all taken their places in the media landscape serving their niche with their own strengths and weaknesses.

In this increasingly congested landscape of ideas and the raw churn of algorithm-directed content, the role of community newspapers has become, if anything, more relevant and necessary over time. Community newspapers are there shedding light on the happenings of local boards and commissions, sharing in the triumphs and tragedies impacting the community and being the beacon in the darkness guiding people to safe harbors.

In March, the National Newspapers Association and NNA Foundation commissioned a survey of readers from across the country, conducted by the highly regarded Susquehanna Polling and Research team. The study found local newspapers as the most trusted source when it comes to learning about candidates for public office. On a 10-point scale (with 10 being the “highest”), local newspapers are rated a 7.38, higher than TV stations (6.45), radio (5.58), political mailings (4.63) or social media platforms (2.65).

And our trustworthiness is growing. Compare this year’s results to our 2019 study, when on the issue of trustworthiness, community newspapers represented a more trusted news source (5.77 on a 10-point scale) than other news sources, rating higher than national network TV news (5.13), cable TV news shows (4.60) and all others. Social media sources like Twitter or Facebook were rated lowest, at 2.92.

The study confirms there is a strong correlation between those who read community newspapers and those who cast ballots in elections. A combined 96% of readers of local newspapers say they plan to vote this November—either “very” or “somewhat” likely.

A combined 77% of respondents say they read a newspaper that covers their local community (a nice increase from a 65% average, 2017-2019), consumed via printed edition and online edition, as well as these additional online options that were not in previous surveys: Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or other social media platforms.

Local newspapers also continue to receive high metrics on things like “[it] informs me” (93% agree), “[it] provides valuable local shopping and advertising information” (81% agree), and “my household relies on [it] for local news” (83%).

Those studies and statistics simply confirm what readers and subscribers have long known about their community newspapers. They continue to be a trusted source of information, giving light in the darkness and providing the tools needed to make informed choices impacting lives and communities.

Members of The Star News editorial board include Publisher Carol O’Leary, General Manager Kris O’Leary and News Editor Brian Wilson.