Where are our local papers going?

The state of the local media is a subject of much concern here on OP, and there have been some very interesting shifts in recent weeks. The most exciting change is the announcement by the Carrboro Citizen that they will be expanding to cover Chapel Hill and increasing circulation by 20%. (See this OP post by CC editor Kirk Ross last fall soliciting our feedback on the expansion.) They have hired Margot Carmichael Lester who is an experienced reporter and a local native. It is really gratifying to see this locally-owned paper succeed. I think it's good for the entire community.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Kentucky-based Paxton Media Group, which bought the Herald-Sun several years ago, is continuing the downward spiral of that paper. Recently, they yanked Chapel Hill Herald editor Neil Offen and swapped him out with Durham metro editor Dan Way.

I wasn't immediately concerned about this, but now we have learned that 1) the change was apparently not voluntary for Offen, who has been very involved in the Orange County community, and 2) Way comes to us with some kind of chip on his shoulder, as evidenced by his recent column comparing our community's relatively progressive ("PC") immigration policies with being lax on the men who murdered Eve Carson. If you think this doesn't make sense, you're not alone. The Independent's Matt Saldaña wrote a great blog entry dissecting this confused argument. I wonder if Way will be one of those journalists who thinks he needs to save "liberal" Chapel Hill from ourselves. I've seen this type at the Chapel Hill News and at the Herald before. Only time will tell.

Speaking of the News, their Orange Chat blog is increasingly breaking useful, or at least interesting, information. And yet they also sometimes slip into what I would almost call rumor-mongering as they seem to relish soliciting and publishing the most inflammatory comments from local officials. I guess this helps sell ads, but it does make one wonder about the outcry from papers that bloggers are somehow ruining journalism. It depends on how you do it, no?

Meanwhile, the Daily Tar Heel has been working hard. Their editorial staff seems to include students interested in the intersection of new media with old journalism, and this is a very good thing. While it doesn't necessarily improve the quality of the reporting, it does increase our ability to find, use, and interact with their reportage.  Today they were honored as local (mid-size) business of the year by the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce. Congrats, DTH!

Update (1/28): I'm embarrased that I neglected to reference the other major print publication in Orange County - The News of Orange. They are well worth mentioning, as the paper has recently started a blog and is also revamping it's main web site (which was sorely needed). So far their effort mostly consists of good intentions, but it's a great big step in the right direction and I look forward to good things to come.

Issues: 

Comments

Given space, staff, the internets and advertising this makes sense to me. Stepping back from the daily grind gives you more time to think. I'm happy to hear about more local voices.

This announcement by the H-S paper is, of course, in the context of the continual shrinkage of the N&O, and both are owned by national newspaper companies.  We hear from other news sources that the RTP area, while not in great shape, is better off than most of the U.S.  We aren't Detroit or Ohio ; we are still growing.   How much of the local paper losses is truly due to the local economy and how much is due to economic problems elsewhere?  In other words, how much are the Durham and Raleigh papers subsidizing their companies' failing papers in worse-off regions?

I continue to believe that big newspapers are running themselves into the ground because they are not adapting and providing leadership in information. For instance, the N&O (I subscribe) continues to run columns by proven incompetents like Krauthammer, Bill Kristol, George Will, etc. Getting analysis and perspective from these guys is like getting investment advice from Maddof. Their track record is one of failure & in a normal situtaion they would not have their jobs. Another example - recently the N&O ran a bogus essay by Greg Easterbrook touting the wonders of coal and cited CO2 sequestration, a technology that is just a dream. Furthermore, while the N&O editors will run letters ad nauseum on Michael Jackson, they routinely deny space to letters critical of  Duke Energy & Progress Energy, not coincidentally two of their biggest ad buyers.Then there are the many silly spreads on shoes & whatnot. (Breaking news - today's N&O has artciles on tips for when to go to the bathroom during movies, "hippie fashions", & new approaches toward footwear - seriously folks, this is not from The Onion.) They recently did a Top 50 local restaurant article which was interesting & fun. They need more local stuff like that.And when will a newspaper come out with a weekly Ecology & Sustainability section, to cover the biggest challenges of our time? Instead we get new business sections and even a Religion section. I typically read the N&O for 3 main reasons:1) See what stories are covered that I haven't seen yet in other sources. This alerts me to what stories are worth pursuing in media outlets that cover them truthfully and in-depth.2) Monitor the level of censorship and triviality in the old-school press.3) Local sports info.Actually 4 - Doonesbury

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