Pondering the Independent Path
Alicia Shepard, reporter and author, examines the delicate balance of profits and the public trust in a recent article published in the Chicago Tribune. She touches on the sea change underway in the industry with the sale of Knight Ridder and the threat of breakup with the Tribune’s parent company. She goes on to reference the role of independents these days, and the success of such papers as the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo. But being locally owned, which, when done right generates solid revenue and goodwill, does present its challenges.
Writes Shepard: “The downsides to this kind of arrangement seem small compared to the long-term security the staff and community feel. Independent newspapers don’t get the price breaks a chain can demand on everything from paper clips to newsprint. They also don’t get the advertising advantages and other synergies that come when an owner clusters newspapers geographically.”