Nice work Will. Local news is so important. Patch.com was sort of on the right track but its low-pay approach is not easy to make work. Local school sports, arts, and accomplishments are what people like to read about and a way to engage younger readers.
Our local paper always had good detail about high school sports. As the players I coached as thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds made varsity debuts, I’d cut the mini-boxscores out and make little cards for them.
When I finished college, the paper dropped any coverage of HS sports—not even the football line scores. I’m aware of how annoying inputting that info must have been, but I felt that moment when the paper ceased to be about our community rather than a vehicle for advertisement using AP articles or pieces borrowed from nearby cities.
I miss opening the paper. Nothing replicates that feeling.
enjoyed this one a lot - grew up in a rural county in Wisconsin and found memories of looking at the local paper each week to see who was in it, who died, who got married, and features. Thank you for writing.
Just a quick note as to Will's letter writing project. I wrote Will a letter and he DID respond. So if you've doubted in anyway that he doesn't really respond, well, he does. Thanks, Will. I also feel a little guilty because I typed my letter and Will actually took the time to handwrite a response.
Great piece this week Will. Small towns are definitely hurt without a local paper (all media really) bringing the community together. One could even argue that larger communities and metro areas (the winner's NYC or my PHX) are hurt by this. If local media isn't unbiased in reporting it hinders the communities they serve.
Volume 4, Issue 81: No Show
Nice work Will. Local news is so important. Patch.com was sort of on the right track but its low-pay approach is not easy to make work. Local school sports, arts, and accomplishments are what people like to read about and a way to engage younger readers.
Our local paper always had good detail about high school sports. As the players I coached as thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds made varsity debuts, I’d cut the mini-boxscores out and make little cards for them.
When I finished college, the paper dropped any coverage of HS sports—not even the football line scores. I’m aware of how annoying inputting that info must have been, but I felt that moment when the paper ceased to be about our community rather than a vehicle for advertisement using AP articles or pieces borrowed from nearby cities.
I miss opening the paper. Nothing replicates that feeling.
enjoyed this one a lot - grew up in a rural county in Wisconsin and found memories of looking at the local paper each week to see who was in it, who died, who got married, and features. Thank you for writing.
Just a quick note as to Will's letter writing project. I wrote Will a letter and he DID respond. So if you've doubted in anyway that he doesn't really respond, well, he does. Thanks, Will. I also feel a little guilty because I typed my letter and Will actually took the time to handwrite a response.
Thanks for sharing the story from Kansas, that's insane. And I'm sure there will be no consequences for the judge that signed the warrant.
Great piece this week Will. Small towns are definitely hurt without a local paper (all media really) bringing the community together. One could even argue that larger communities and metro areas (the winner's NYC or my PHX) are hurt by this. If local media isn't unbiased in reporting it hinders the communities they serve.