I felt sad after reading the full-page statement in the Feb 10 Solon Economist from Bob Woodward about the precarious status of the Solon Economist.
Although I moved from Solon over a year ago, I still subscribe because small-town newspapers are important. If the Solon Economist doesn’t survive, it won’t be the first small-town paper to close, nor the last. Our world has changed — people read traditional media less and less and get their news (or what they think is news) from social media. Even larger newspapers than the Economist are struggling, and it is easy to imagine many of them gone within the next decade.
What is lost when a small town loses its newspaper? It cuts off many of the elders of the community from local news since they are not digitally savvy. Without coverage of local governmental meetings, a check and balance are lost and they can operate without as much community involvement and oversight. On a simpler level, you lose the information about what’s happening at the library and photos of local sports achievements, school musicals, high school graduates, and Beef Days events. You also lose the letters to Santa, candidate profiles, and the letters to the editor sharing opinions on community issues.
Your local newspaper is the voice of your community. It’s up to you, Solon, do you want to save it?