Why this is still “our” community newspaper At a Kansas Press Association conference in Hutchinson last week, a speaker addressed a concern facing many newspapers across the country. He talked about communities where the newspaper may still arrive, the website may still be updated and the headlines may still appear, but residents no longer feel the newspaper belongs to them.
The concern was not just whether local news exists. It was whether local news still feels local.
As I listened, I realized how blessed we are at the Council Grove Republican.
What the speaker described is not what I have experienced since purchasing this newspaper five years ago. That does not mean the work has been easy. It has not. Like many small newspapers, we face rising costs, changing technology, long hours and the daily challenge of producing a newspaper with a very small staff.
But we also have something many newspapers have lost. We have a community that still refers to this newspaper as “our newspaper”.
Those words matter. They mean readers still see the Council Grove Republican as part of the community, not as an outside business looking in. They mean people still believe local news should be gathered by people who live here, work here, shop here, attend meetings here, cheer for local students here and understand the importance of the names, places and issues that may never make news anywhere else.
We do not take that trust lightly. Since I purchased the Republican, total strangers have encouraged us in ways I never expected. Some have purchased subscriptions because they want this newspaper to continue. Some have sent monetary gifts. Some have handed me cash and told me to treat the staff. Others have brought produce from their gardens, called with story ideas, submitted articles or stopped by simply to offer encouragement.
Those gestures are humbling. They are also a reminder that this newspaper is not just a business transaction. It is a relationship.
We are also grateful for the loyal merchants who continue to advertise with us. Their support makes it possible for us to cover city council meetings, school board meetings, county commission meetings, school activities, sports, community events, local history and the everyday stories that help define life in Morris and Chase counties.
Advertising in a local newspaper is not only about selling a product or promoting a service. It is also an in- (Continued from Page 1) vestment in the community’s ability to know itself.
The Council Grove Republican is not perfect. No newspaper is. We make mistakes, and when we do, we try to correct them. We know some stories are difficult. We know local issues can be sensitive. We also know that in a small community, the people we write about are not strangers. They are neighbors, friends, public servants, business owners, students, coaches, teachers and volunteers. That is why we try hard to be factual and unbiased. Our goal is not to inflame. Our goal is to inform.
We believe residents deserve to know what their elected bodies are doing. They deserve to know how tax dollars are spent. They deserve to see their children, grandchildren and neighbors recognized. They deserve to have community milestones preserved in print. They deserve a newspaper that shows up.
This year, the Council Grove Republican was recognized in the United States Senate as being published in the smallest town in America with a daily newspaper. That recognition was deeply meaningful, not only for our staff, but for this community.
A daily newspaper in a town the size of Council Grove does not exist because of one person. It exists because a community still values it.
At the Kansas Press Association convention, the Republican also received 18 awards, including a surprise sweepstakes award for advertising among newspapers in Divisions I, II and III. The recognition was based on the number of firstplace advertising awards received and was especially meaningful because it honored the creative work produced by our small staff.
But the awards are not the reason we do this work. We do it because local news matters.
We do it because a school board decision affects families here. A city council decision affects taxpayers here. A county commission decision affects roads, bridges and services here. A sUident’s achievement matters here. A business opening, a church anniversary, a veteran’s story, a sports season, a local celebration or a community loss all matter here.
They matter because they are ours.
That word — “ours” — is what the speaker in Hutchinson said many newspapers have lost.
We are grateful that, in Council Grove, many people still believe this is their newspaper. We are grateful when someone stops us with a story idea, even when the timing is not perfect. We are grateful when readers call with corrections, questions or suggestions. We are grateful when advertisers choose to support us. We are grateful when someone renews a subscription because they believe a daily newspaper still has a place here.
Most of all, we are grateful for the trust. Trust is not automatic. It must be earned, one edition at a time, one article at a time and one relationship at a time. That is what we will continue trying to do.
The Council Grove Republican belongs to the communities it serves. It is rooted here. It is written here. It is delivered here. It is supported here.
And as long as this community continues to call it “our” newspaper, we will continue doing our best to be worthy of that name.