by Syble Solomon, Hamilton
Years ago a teacher challenged my son’s 7th grade class to be able to fill in a map with the name of every country in our world with the promise that everyone who was successful would be announced in the local newspaper. The kids were so motivated by this simple act of public recognition that they really applied themselves and many saw their name in print. Many of those successful kids were not the stars that always shine, but kids that saw a chance to earn this recognition on their own. Talk about a boost in self esteem! I know it was a day to celebrate in our household when that article came out! Whether it’s sports, music, academics or anything noteworthy in our community, the local paper was there to celebrate and the whole town shared in the happy news. For students and adults, our local paper gave everyone a chance to claim some of their 15 minutes of fame. Likewise, when tragedy struck, the whole town knew where help was needed and it was forthcoming.
Other benefits of our local newspaper were that when someone ran for the school board or any other local position, chances are we were already familiar with them from appearing on the pages of the paper over time. When a tax issue came up, it got played out in the paper so people were well informed on both sides of the issue and the news wasn’t limited to representing one bias over the other.
Victoria Howell’s article resonated with me. I share her frustration that local papers are disappearing at an alarming rate and lament with her that the many good things they accomplish are being lost. I don’t have an answer either, but regional and national news doesn’t fill the gap created when we lose local papers.