For the last week, it has been hard for me to be someplace — whether it’s Fayetteville’s White River Ballpark to watch my son play or picking up a few things at the grocery store — without getting a question about iPads.
I own a very old iPad, but I’m no expert on these technological wonders.
But people weren’t really inquiring because they thought I was a whiz on Apple’s tablet. What they were really asking is whether their newspaper is going to disappear.
As a journalist who has spent his entire professional life in the newspaper business, it’s tempting to respond “Only when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.” But I’m no Charleton Heston.
I appreciate so much the many people who have related to me their affection for the newspaper’s role in their morning routines. For many, it’s as comfortable as that first cup of coffee. One friend explained how she saves up the week’s papers. At first, I thought she was about to tell me how many bird cages she had in need of fresh linings, but thankfully she explained how she enjoyed reading the newspapers on the weekends when she could spare more time.
Once, I had a guy apologize to me over his consistant purchase of the newspaper. “I buy it mainly because I like the comics,” he said. I suspect he thought I would judge him harshly for not picking it up every day to learn what’s happening in New Delhi or reading whatever flash of brilliance I might have shared in column writing. His reason for buying the paper was every bit as legitimate as someone who got it for business coverage or the real estate ads or the article about the local sports hero. It wasn’t my place to say why he should buy the paper; I was thankful just that he saw something within its pages for which he was willing to part ways with a few of his hard-earned dollars.
Down in Little Rock, publisher Walter Hussman Jr. is hard at work to find new success for his news organization, which publishes the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 63 counties and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 12 counties of the state. A friend suggested to me this week that people in our region don’t distinguish betweeen the two; it’s all just the Democrat-Gazette, his suggestion goes.
Perhaps his point is accurate, but so is this: The two newspapers unquestionably operate separately, while sharing some content vital to informing readers about state, national and international matters. News coverage and editorial page decisions for Northwest Arkansas happen right here in Northwest Arkansas. Because this region is such an economic, cultural and population center unto itself, Hussman recognized adequately serving the news, information and advertising needs of Northwest Arkansas really meant operating a separate entity for the region.
Let me stress this here: I am not a spokesman for the company. I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of what’s happening. I’m just a guy fortunate enough to love a job writing columns and editorials in Northwest Arkansas. Nothing I say should be taken as a company stance.
But back to those iPads. Yes, Hussman is in the process of innovatively changing the way news is delivered in much of the state. Statewide columnists, like Rex Nelson in today’s edition, speak to that. But, as of today, the iPad delivery approach is not happening in the 12-county area served by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Why? Because Northwest Arkansas isn’t a mirror copy of the rest of the state. The business considerations are different because the business dynamics are different.
That still means there are no guarantees. But I’m convinced the people who work for this newspaper will dedicate themselves to whatever is necessary to maintain a strong news-gathering organization in whatever form our culture needs it to be delivered. Hussman is simply making the kinds of business decisions necessary to serve the state’s news and information needs.
The iPad approach isn’t here yet, but if it comes, I think there’s one question we all ought to ask ourselves as local newspapers make changes to adjust to 21st century consumer and business behaviors: For all these years of reading the newspaper, were we drawn to it because of the medium on which it was delivered or because of the important content it contained?
Think of your favorite book and the joy of reading it the first time. Had it not been available in printed form — let’s say it could only be read on a smartphone — would the story it tells be diminished?
No matter what, I hope readers will stick with us as this news organization delivers coverage that’s vital to our local communities and the state. Change is tough — trust me, those of us in this line of work know that firsthand.
From my perspective, the existential threat to newspapers is reflected in this question: Are people willing to direct their time and their money — and even their patience with change — to stay informed, to broadening their perspectives, to reading opinions that differ from their own?
I truly believe the kind of journalism practiced in newspaper organizations is vital to this nation’s existance. I hope enough Arkansans share that belief to make Walter Hussman’s efforts worth every ounce of energy he and his employees put into it.
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Greg Harton is editorial page editor for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Contact him by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @ NWAGreg.