The sad, accelerating demise of local newspapers

I’ve worked for six daily newspapers, in small and big towns. They were important checks on local governments and set the agenda for community discussion. Recent events are accelerating their demise.

WSJ and Washington Post articles detail 30% increase of newsprint costs – a casualty of the Canadian tariff wars – as a huge financial threat. Political leaders’ dismissals of stories they dislike as “fake news” are an existential threat. Last week, a gunman outraged by previous coverage allegedly killed five employees of a well-respected Annapolis newspaper. That’s the ultimate chilling effect.

Local newspapers will soon disappear – and be sorely missed.

– Chris Schroder, The 100 Companies