This week marks the last issue of the Dutchess Beat, at least for a while, and the reason is relatively simple – it’s the economy, stupid. Costs for the Beat are exceeding its income, and publication has been suspended. Publisher Geddy Sveikauskas explains it quite clearly on our front page, and we’ll leave it to him to explain our plans to expand political and Dutchess coverage in Alm@nac and continue to focus on what matters in the community, and hopefully, someday soon, bring back the Beat.
In this space, we wanted to take the opportunity to muse about the future of journalism – which could be likened by some as staring into some deep, dark chasm. It’s true, newspapers are struggling right now. This week brought news that the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, the 20th and 49th-largest daily newspapers in the country, are going to end home delivery. The publishers point out that the costs for paper, ink and fuel were forcing cuts in newsroom talent and damaging the papers’ ability to deliver the news. In a CNN.com article on the decision, it was noted that daily newspaper circulation was down 4.6 percent for the six-month period ending in September. Couple that a putrid economy (where newspaper advertising dollars come from), and the outlook is positively grim.
But all is not yet lost. Community journalism will continue to be as important, and arguably more so, than at any point in our history. National and international news is available at our fingertips, 24 hours a day. But what about a thief in the neighborhood? Tainted drinking water? Skyrocketing tax rates? Good luck finding that on a national newscast. The truth is that good local journalism will always have a place in our communities – and it’s up to the media entities who produce the news to find ways to make the business end profitable. It’s a challenge that extends all the way to the top of the industry, and it’s one of the reasons for the perception that printed news is in its death throes.
But the fate of the Beat aside, newspapers still have a lot to offer, and we’re certainly not going to stop our Dutchess County coverage. As outlined in Geddy’s explanation, Dutchess and Ulster political coverage will be side-by-side in the new expanded Alm@nac, along with continued coverage of arts and cultural events that Alm@nac has become known for. And though this is the final issue of the paper for the time being, we are convinced that community journalism isn’t going anywhere. Will it have to adapt and change? Certainly. The decision by the Detroit papers this week affirms that. But the essential mission of journalism – serving as the eyes and ears for a public largely left in the dark – is as vital as ever. Thank you for reading, keep supporting local news, and we hope to see you back on the newsstands someday.