We Will Fight

Over the weekend was the Nebraska Press Association annual convention.We talk mostly about issues to improve the product, streamline things, implementing new ideas for revenue and reporting and, in general, talk shop.A comment was made during a breakout session that, ‘newspapers are dying’ and the retort was, ‘no, newspapers are fighting.’I tend to agree, but maybe not in the reference to which it was made in that ‘newspapers are fighting to survive.’ The view may be that the industry is dying but trying to grasp the last few days of sunlight before the meteor that social media provided snuffs out these old paper and ink dinosaurs.My view is that yes, newspapers are fighting, just like they have been for decades. The newspaper industry has been up against magazines, radio, television, the internet, social media and is still around and relevant.Papers have been fighting for a long time, not for survival but for our cause.We aren’t fighting for survival but fighting for transparency in government, the same as we have for hundreds of years.We are fighting to educate the public on the issues that they need to know.We are fighting to accurately document history in the given geographic areas in which we reside.We are fighting justice for victims.We are fighting for the rights of citizens under the Constitution of the United States of America.We are fighting to shine a light on our youth so they can be seen as the next generation of leaders in our communities.We are fighting for local businesses to keep them viable and move the economy forward.We are fighting for the survival of democracy.We will continue to fight this as it is our job, always has been, always will be our job to fight. This is why we as an industry get up every day and turn out a paper: daily, weekly, semi-weekly.Will the business change? Absolutely. We will continue to change and adapt, but also inform, entertain, enlighten, defend, denounce and, yes, fight for our coverage areas.

Garen Goebel

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