Newspapers dying? Not a chance

Your local newspaper in the throes of death? Don’t believe it.

My brother and I, co-publishers of our newspapers, just returned from the Alabama Press Association’s Summer Convention celebrating the 150th anniversary of the organization. One. Hundred. Fifty. Years. Unbelievable.

Everything from small community newspapers like The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier to large conglomerates like the Alabama Media Group, which encompasses The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and Mobile Press-Register, were represented.

Never in all the years we’ve been attending events like this have I seen the passion and eagerness to move our industry forward as I saw last weekend. The usual sessions like sales were offered but new topics were discussed like how to reach millennials and academics in the newsroom. Public notices and public records are always hot topics of discussion and how the Alabama Legislators refuse to address bills the APA lobbyists bring to them to make open records more obtainable and transparent.

One of the great things about attending events like this is being able to talk with our peers in the business and garner ideas from them about how they are successful in their publications. We love to share what we’ve been doing as well as listen to their thoughts. It’s always a win-win for both of us.

This year we were graced with two governors making an appearance — current Governor Kay Ivey and former Governor Don Siegelman. Gov. Ivey was scheduled to attend our opening reception on Friday night but Gov. Siegelman showed up to the surprise of everyone, hawking his new book. Ivey made about a 20-minute appearance then disappeared into the sunset after reading a script and shaking a few hands. It was decided by the attendees that Siegelman could possibly replace the Energizer bunny at some point because he kept showing up all over the place and going…and going…and going.

Once again, your local paper brought home the two big awards in their division: General Excellence and Advertising Sweepstakes. Community journalism is the backbone of our industry and we take our jobs very seriously. We are the historical record keepers of our community and we’re also the ones who provide the public with information about their local government bodies that they have a right to know.

You would be hard pressed to know what goes on at city council, county commission and school board meetings; at civic clubs and on ball fields around the area. Structures that have caught on fire and criminals that have been arrested. Yes, you can try to find information on social media but does it tell the real story? Are those the facts you’re reading? And social media won’t hold anyone accountable like your community newspaper does. Social media sites don’t even hold themselves accountable.

During an unprecedented year in our newspaper’s history, we tried to keep the public informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tough at times, especially since we were working short of staff, but we all made it through and I think we all learned a lot of lessons.

We learned to adapt, as did other businesses in the community, to stay in business. And the industry as a whole is still adapting to meet the needs of its readers. Digital content is a core ingredient of most newspapers today but holding a newspaper in my hands is still my preferred method of reading. Heck, I still want to read a paperback book sitting on the beach instead of squinting to try and read a novel on my iPad.

In fact, I just read a story in a magazine how some of the coolest brands are turning back to newspapers and away from digital. The reason? Digital is overwhelming everyone. Tell me the last time you looked at Facebook or Twitter and didn’t have an ad in your face every few posts. There are over 1.75 million podcasts now. Who has time to listen to all that?

According to this story, marketers are learning it’s harder than ever to cut through the digital noise and get their brand noticed. Newspapers and catalogues are becoming the preferred method to advertise because of their longevity. They stay around a lot longer than e-mails and continue to bring top-of-mind awareness to consumers. And an Edelman Trust Barometer report found more than 60 percent of people trust traditional newspapers compared with 30-40 percent for digital media. In a story about the APA 150th celebration, it was noted that in a 2019 statewide survey commissioned by APA, respondents rated newspapers as the No. 1 source of local news and information in Alabama.

So, are newspapers dying? Just the opposite. We’re more relevant today than we’ve ever been. Our mission of keeping our readers informed will never change and we will always strive to deliver a product for both our readers and advertisers that they can be proud of and more importantly, trust.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, “The reports of (our) death have been greatly exaggerated.” Cheers to 150 years!

Caroline Quattlebaum is co-publisher for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].