A Local Newspaper Makes Us More of a Community

The Valleyist Papers

A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS

WRITTEN IN FAVOUR OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF STEPHENS VALLEY

Author – William Ray

 

Edition 2. Issue 8.

A Local Newspaper Makes Us More of a Community

Plop! In the kind of Mayberryesque small town we hope SV to become, that would be the sound of a local newspaper hitting our front porch, but like the promised Stephens Valley (SV) Town Square, and other amenities, that local newspaper doesn’t fully exist -- yet. Sure, The Valleyist is nice, and Slack sort of mimics a local newspaper in a few ways, with SV residents providing the content, but a truly local newspaper would provide us so much more. So, would having a local paper help us progress toward the community we want? Hmmm.

The decline of small local newspapers is a serious problem for communities across the country, and it is a very serious problem for a new community like SV that is trying to become viable. Local newspapers provide essential services that cannot be easily replaced. If we want to ensure that our communities are informed, engaged, and prosperous, we need to find ways to support small local newspapers, and maybe even create certain elements of a newspaper ourselves.

For now, a way to get in the local newspaper habit is to go to www.williamsonherald.com and subscribe. The Williamson County Herald was founded in 2005 to fill the need for local news in Williamson County, Tennessee. The newspaper is owned and operated by CMD Publishing, and it is printed locally by Franklin Web Printing. It is a really nice weekly publication.

The newspaper was founded by a group of local businessmen and journalists who were concerned about the lack of local news coverage in the county that was being provided by Nashville newspapers. The Herald quickly became a popular source of news for Williamson County residents, and it has since grown to become one of the most respected newspapers in the region. The Herald is published weekly, and even though it does not go Plop! on your front porch, it does appear in SV mailboxes a day or two after it is printed in Franklin. It can appear in your mailbox for the paltry sum of $50 per year. It is a true bargain.

Of course, we are Williamson County residents, and our only government services come from Williamson County. We are not citizens of any other local government, even though our address says we live in Nashville, we do not live in Nashville. That seems very odd, especially since right now so many people are running for Mayor of Nashville and all local media seems to be urging us to pick one of those candidates, but we don’t get a vote in that matter. Further, we are not residents of any of the five incorporated cities in Williamson County: Franklin, Brentwood, Thompson’s Station, Nolensville, and Fairview. Each of these cities has a local government which maintains infrastructure for the residents of these respective cities. Meanwhile, SV is not a part of any of this, but we do pay property taxes that helps support Williamson County infrastructure, and that gives us equity in that infrastructure and the decisions made by elected officials of Williamson County. We get to vote and help choose the Mayor of Williamson County (presently that is Rogers Anderson). The Herald strives to cover a wide range of topics, including all those local governments, as well as the overall county government, education, business, crime, and sports. The newspaper also features a variety of special sections, such as a weekly food section and a monthly lifestyle section.

The Herald is committed to providing its readers with accurate and unbiased news coverage, and that is not easy because they have six governments to keep an eye on! The newspaper's editorial board is made up of experienced journalists who seem committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. The newspaper is a valuable resource for Williamson County residents, and it is sure to continue to be a leader in local news for many years to come. It is worth reading and stealing some of their ideas about how we can strengthen our relationships in SV by proactively producing content for our hyper-local interests.

There are many reasons why small local newspapers like Williamson County Herald should be saved, and each of these reasons would also be applicable to SV owners if we were able to organize an SV version of the Herald. Here are a few of the most important:

· They provide essential information to the community. Local newspapers are the primary source of news for many people, and they provide coverage of local events and issues that would not be covered by larger, national news outlets. This information is essential for citizens to make informed decisions about their community and to hold their elected officials accountable.

· They build community. Local newspapers help to build community by providing a forum for people to share their stories and to learn about each other. They also help to promote civic engagement by covering local events and issues and by providing a platform for people to voice their opinions. Slack already does some of this for SV, but it would be so much better with reports on the meetings of the Design Review Committee, reports from the discussions held in the various committees that have already been created, sports reports on racquet sports, etc., etc.

· They support local businesses. Local newspapers provide a valuable advertising platform for local businesses, helping them to reach potential customers and to grow their businesses. This support is essential for the economic vitality of the community.

· They strengthen democracy. Local newspapers play an important role in strengthening democracy by providing a forum for public discourse and by holding government accountable (and maybe even developers!). They also help to ensure that all voices are heard in the community, regardless of social status or economic power.

It is common for SV owners to be solicited for donations to a variety of causes which are important to our neighbors, so here is another solicitation. There are things you can do to help save small local newspapers, especially the Williamson County Herald:

· Subscribe to the newspaper. This is the most important thing you can do to support your local newspaper.

· Donate to your local newspaper. If you can't afford to subscribe, you can still support your local newspaper by donating.

· Advertise in your local newspaper. If you own a business, you can help support your local newspaper by advertising in it.

· Spread the word about the importance of local newspapers. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of local newspapers and why they should support them.

By taking these steps, we can help to ensure that small local newspapers continue to thrive in our communities, and we can follow their expertise in gathering and distributing news which we need to satisfy our genetic desire to know our community and our neighbors.