If you are reading this, you are someone who understands the value of local newspapers.
And we are grateful for you.
Next week – October 5-11 – is National Newspaper Week, an annual celebration of the value that local news sources provide their communities, and we’re happy to publish our annual message to readers to remind you of why we do the work we do.
For many years, newspapers were the only way that people could understand what was happening in their cities and towns without directly participating in the process. The Hull Times has been around since 1930. And in those 95 years, our pages have covered many of the same issues year in and year out – you can see that history in columnist John Galluzzo’s weekly look back at the news we published 50 years ago, and the feature stories we publish in partnership with the Hull Historical Society.
The Hull Public Library has digitized some local newspaper archives, including Times competitors such as The Hull Beacon and the Hull News Mirror. We’re working with the library to digitize past issues of the Times, and a healthy slice of life in Hull between 1959 and 2004 is now searchable on the library’s website at no charge.
For all the years we’ve been around, the Times has been staffed by people who love Hull as much as you do. Whether you grew up here – like many members of our staff – or if you are new to town and are still learning about what makes our peninsula special, we hope you find something valuable in each edition.
The Newspaper Association Managers has sponsored National Newspaper Week for almost as long as we’ve been in business – since 1940 – and cites four key contributions that local news sources make to their communities:
⦁ Informing its citizens: Local reporting empowers people with the information they need to make decisions in their everyday lives – from voting to attending town meetings. There are plenty of websites and social media platforms that don’t fact-check or offer context about the issues. Sometimes it’s frustrating to have to wait to publish certain pieces of information, but we adhere to strict standards of accuracy that are missing on most online posts.
⦁ Accountability: Local news reporting keeps you informed about decisions being made and funds being spent. Our staff is small, but we work hard to find the answers and often are the first place Hullonians learn about important issues in town.
⦁ Community connection: Local news fosters a sense of belonging by highlighting stories that resonate on a personal level. We publish the most comprehensive community calendar of events and offer it at no charge on our website in order to give local organizations maximum exposure. Many people tell us the calendar is their favorite part of the paper, as it gives them a wide perspective on all the great things happening in town.
⦁ Economic development: Local media supports small businesses through advertising and promotion, strengthening the local economy. We are grateful for those local businesses and individuals who support us with advertising dollars, and we take seriously our commitment to expanding our outreach into the community. We have a consistent presence online, on social media, in stores, and in people’s homes – and we are the only business we know of that regularly emails thousands of Hull households each Friday with our weekly newsletter. Advertisers who invest in the Times get exposure they can’t get anywhere else.
We like to keep things local, but we have to acknowledge the challenges facing the media on the state and national level. Trust in the media is being undermined regularly, and by forces much larger than us, but we continue to work hard in our corner of the world. We want to be where you are, giving you information that you need to make sound decisions about navigating life in Hull. We also want to give you a trusted place where you can find comprehensive coverage of important issues, not the tangled mess of speculation and rumors that seems to dominate online discourse. When you read something in the newspaper, on our website, or one of our social media accounts, you can be sure that its accuracy has been verified to the best of our ability.
Despite the national trend of community news sources being absorbed by larger operations or shut down entirely, Americans are still looking for reliable, accurate information, as a recent study conducted by the America’s Newspapers Foundation concluded.
The survey of 5,000 people found that eight out of 10 Americans still get news and information from local print or digital sources every month. Nearly three-quarters of those interviewed said a local newspaper is important, and 43% said local newspapers or their websites are the most accurate source of news and information. Or, as the study’s authors wrote: “Local news is critical to the well-being of a community.”
The Times is locally owned and plans to stay that way.
But like every local business, there are inevitable costs. None of us can afford to work for free, and the human hours it takes to write, edit, photograph, draw, design, sell, print, label, deliver, upload, promote, share, interpret, analyze, and publish each week are daunting. Not having to answer to a national parent company allows us some flexibility, but being independent presents its own challenges. As we’ve said many times, keeping this show on the road often keeps us up at night.
We’re so grateful for our supporters – our regular subscribers, those who buy the paper on the newsstand every week, and our advertisers whose consistency provides a strong foundation for growth.
Our message during National Newspaper Week is one of thanks, but also a request for your help. As we mentioned above, if you are reading this, then you understand the value of a local news outlet. We need more people like you. We need Hullonians to support us with subscriptions, newsstand purchases, and advertising. We need others who may not be subscribers or advertisers to join you on this journey and become part of the family.
And speaking of families, we also want to encourage all our readers and advertisers to send us news about Hull’s families – births, engagements, marriages, graduations, job promotions, awards, and other accomplishments. Share your good news with your neighbors!
The Times is stronger when there are many voices contributing, and with our committed group of staff members and supporters like you, we plan to celebrate National Newspaper Week as an independent news organization for at least 95 more years.
