My first connection to newspapers began when I was 10. We lived in Pocatello on Clark Street in a house that had a coal furnace in the basement. Part of my responsibilities were cleaning the clinkers from the furnace and stoking the hopper with coal. The clinkers were leftover residue from burning the coal and looked like volcanic cinder fragments.

I spent ample time in that basement during the four-year period we lived on Clark Street. The pipes in the ceiling were wrapped in old newspapers and a few were unraveling. I pulled some down to read. The newspapers were from World War II and their bold headlines reported shocking events. A lifelong habit of reading newspapers took hold as I shoveled coal and devoured insulation material that helped me to visualize an entire world at war.

My relationship with the Idaho State Journal continued through having a paper route, eventually a subscription, and intensified four years past when I began writing a regular column. That has been an enriching experience although fraught with the potential for pushing someone’s nuclear button.

The advent of the internet and services like Craigslist have had a profound impact upon the viability of printed newspapers. Digital services are quicker and cheaper for delivering the news, and ongoing shrinkage has been occurring to printed newspapers throughout America.

Reading printed newspapers has fallen out of vogue with younger generations; it is still one of my favorite activities. Being a tree hugger, I harbor irreconcilable guilt for my sustained fondness for reading printed newspapers and books.

“Between 2004 and today about 2,200 newspapers have closed across the United States. …The nation now has 50 percent fewer newspaper journalists than it did in 2008.” (William McKenzie, The George Bush Institute, 2022).

Mr. McKenzie added, “Strong local journalism bolsters our democracy in several important ways. The most essential one is that a local source of news helps create a shared culture. … A respected news operation becomes a place to air grievances, discuss problems, learn about neighbors, celebrate big moments, and define the identity of a community. Not perfectly, but it is a way to strengthen the bonds of a community.”

The reporting on the simmering conflict that persisted between members of the Pocatello City Council and mayor’s office regarding overall governance, the recent group resignation of council members, and the controversial comment by Councilman Roger Bray regarding diversity are prime examples of how local newspapers keep a community informed through stories, opinion columns and letters. It is difficult to obtain that level of detailed local information through other mediums.

National concern over failing newspapers resulted in the introduction in 2020 of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act by Arizona Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick. The proposed legislation utilizes tax credits to support newspapers and their subscribers, but has not passed Congress as of this date.

The legislation to support journalism has attracted bipartisan support, but does have its critics who claim the tax benefits are too focused upon the large corporations owning many small newspapers, and that discretion in how the credits can be applied won’t necessarily result in improvements to the industry beyond enhanced profitability for the owners. (See, Howard Saltz column, Poynter, Aug. 18, 2022).

The legislation to provide assistance to newspapers has bogged down in Congress. If you care about the survival of local newspapers, please study the issue and let your elected representatives know where you stand on efforts to assist their survival.

Ian Fennell, the managing editor at the Idaho State Journal, assured me our local newspaper franchise is healthy, but confirmed the ongoing transition to more online news and readership is a key factor sustaining the paper’s viability.

It is unlikely we will ever see a return to seven days of the paper version of the local newspaper given the realities of the digital era. Fennell observed there are still some newspapers not embracing online news services, but they are at a competitive disadvantage and more likely to fail in today’s market.

From my coal clinker days to the present, I have enjoyed printed newspapers. It is important to continue supporting local newspapers, although the “writing on the wall” portends printed versions, along with their loyal readers, are dying breeds in an ever-changing world.

Jesse Robison is a Pocatello native educated in Idaho. He works as a mediator and insurance claim consultant, but his passion is public art. Robison has spearheaded art improvements throughout Pocatello, and serves on the Bistline Foundation.

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