The Last Edition: The Rocky Mountain News Closes
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It’s a sad day. For those who love newspapers and honor the role of the print media, it is heart wrenching to see an established publication like the Rocky Mountain News go under. Today, February 27, is the last edition and a long tradition ends:
“Colorado’s oldest newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, is shutting down today, and industry analysts say it won’t be the last to be pulled under by a rising tide of financial woes.
E.W. Scripps announced yesterday that it is closing the 150-year-old Rocky, which has won four Pulitzer Prizes in the last decade, leaving Denver, like most American cities, a one-newspaper town.”
link: Final Edition: Rocky Mountain News to Shut Down Today
Some will say that it is a ’sign of the times’. When the newspaper reached the streets, it was ‘old news’. Much of the information had been available for hours with the immediacy of the internet. And the advertisers knew that.
While there is some truth in that, it is not a totally valid assessment. The international and national news stories indeed were available online. However, the newspapers also have a vital role in the local community. Newspapers and its reporters are often the first witnesses of history; and, in terms of the local area which they serve, newspapers provide a check to safeguard the security and safety of their community. They make people accountable and the importance of that cannot be minimalized.
Perhaps the internet can do that - and perhaps not. The internet is still the new frontier. Within minutes, anyone can have a blog - and, for the most part, the content of that blog is unfettered. It may mix news with opinion. And, yes, there are websites that have the discipline and the skill to present the news. However, that local element may be missing.
Newspapers were seen as a vital part of the community. That element of community is undergoing a seismic shift. The Rocky Mountain News will not be the last paper to close its doors. And the question will be… “who will check the facts?“.
Catherine Forsythe
2 Comments
Buz
February 27th, 2009
at 12:46pm
I agree it’s sad when any business closes its doors, even more so one with such a long history.
I do find it amusing that you think any new medium “checks the facts” anymore. For the most part, they print what will sell and what follows the prejudices of their editors.
forsythe
February 27th, 2009
at 12:59pm
Buz, I know what you mean. Sometimes what is printed is driven by financial, political, or ideological considerations. I guess I am not that far removed from journalism school that I would like to think that the facts still matter.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It is much appreciated.
Catherine