Everyone has read that the newspaper industry has come under stress in recent years. This has arisen primarily due to two factors, 1. Advertising options for businesses have increased greatly because of the internet, and 2. People’s reading habits have changed.
Fortunately for weekly newspapers, these factors have not been as hard-hitting. Readers in small communities have not changed their reading habits to the degree that they have in the metropolitan areas; so, the advertising base for community papers has remained relatively stronger than in more populous areas. Further, there are fewer sources for community news outside of the larger cities.
The quality of the news is also a factor. Where there is an emphasis on excellence, readership can grow, not decline. An outstanding example of that is a small, rural newspaper in Oregon. Under new ownership, the Malheur Enterprise, which was founded in 1909, has seen its circulation surge and revenue triple.
According to Les Zaitz, the paper’s editor and publisher, this has come about because of “in-depth aggressive coverage that you normally don’t see in rural America.” A local attorney, Carol Skerjanec, offers another opinion as to why the paper thrives: “We’re pretty intelligent people, so we don’t need to be told how to feel about something or what direction to take or what stance to take. Just tell us what the facts are, and we’ll make our own decision.”
All that is to say, we believe that newspapers are important to our towns, our state, and our nation, and that we can thrive by serving our readers well. To that end, I again offer our purpose statement to you, as our pledge; when you feel that we fall short, please inform us.
The Purpose Statement of the Cape May County Herald
The Cape May County Herald’s news pages exist to accurately cover and impartially analyze events and trends which impact the lives of our readers. We endeavor to report not only events but, where applicable, to give wider focus to the happenings so as to make our reporting relevant to our readers and viewers.
We believe that facts are facts, not points of view. In reporting the facts, independence is essential, as we cannot sacrifice our credibility in order to avoid offending an advertiser, a political figure or others known or unknown. We recognize that truth is sometimes painful and thus doesn’t always please everyone.
Our editorial coverage exists to filter events through our philosophic and moral screen, and then to express our opinion; these expressed opinions are not influenced by our news coverage. The tenets that govern us are based upon our belief that a God-given moral compass must guide us all.
