Washington State's Incredible Shrinking Print Newspapers

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Dean Katz

Back when I was a cub reporter in Olympia, there were so many journalists covering state government that two newsrooms were required to accommodate everyone. Sometimes, I wondered if it was also because there were so many irascible journalists that they had to be kept apart. It was a different era, to be sure.

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Today, there are just a handful of newspaper reporters covering state government year-round, plus one new one, The Washington State Standard. What’s happened to the press corps in Olympia reflects the headwinds that newspapers across the country are facing as social media and other new digital platforms have emerged. This has led to a precipitous drop in the demand for printed newspapers and, in turn, revenue from classified and business ads.

These trends, among others, recently prompted the troubled McClatchy chain to reduce the frequency of print editions of its four newspapers in Washington state. The Tri-City Herald downsized to two print editions a week last October. The Bellingham Herald went to two days in January. The News Tribune in Tacoma and The Olympian in the state capital will cut back to publishing print editions three days a week starting May 6. (The acquisition of McClatchy by a hedge fund in 2020 may be the culprit.) The Seattle Times is now the only newspaper in the state publishing print editions seven days a week. Kudos to them!

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Why does this matter? Because strong local newspapers help bind communities. They offer a credible source of local news and limit the spread of disinformation. And they provide a check on politicians, local governments, and the business community. Digital newspapers can deliver some of this. But reduced news coverage whittles away at the value newspapers have provided for so many years. (And there’s nothing like a print newspaper with a big front-page headline to underscore the importance of a story or to keep the powerful accountable.)

https://www.postalley.org/2024/03/18/washington-states-incredible-shrinking-print-newspapers/