As social media evolves, the number of local news outlets begins to shrink. With platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok taking over the world, engagement with not only non-digital news but more specifically local stations has dwindled. The ability to have information at one’s fingertips was not always the case. The history of newspapers dates all the way back to 1440, when Johannes Gutenberg invented a movable-type press, which led to the high-quality reproduction of materials at a rate of 4,000 pages per day, being 1,000 times faster than handwritten techniques. Overnight, the new printing press transformed the scope and reach of the papers, paving the way for modern journalism. In the present day, local journalism, which once thrived, has faced difficult new realities. According to The State of Local News Project, almost 40% of all local U.S. newspapers have vanished, leaving 50 million Americans with limited or no access to a reliable source of local news. This very conundrum has reached Iowa, with the fate of 18 Iowa newspapers being in the hands of Mid-America Publishing.
Based on their website, Mid-America was founded by Willard Archie in Shenandoah in 1962. Currently, it is based in Hampton and owns and operates multiple publications while also providing commercial web printing services for several shoppers, newspapers, and other organizations. On April 2, they announced their plan to cease operations for multiple Iowa newspapers. According to KCRG, they are exploring sale options for their publications, but no information is available regarding a sale at this time. The closure impacts five full-time employees and several correspondents in northeast Iowa. When asked about a statement, all agencies contacted declined.
In an interview done by KCCI, the Madrid Register has faced strain from the possibility of closure. With their weekly newspaper being printed since the late 1800s, they are sad to mark the end of a long tradition in a town where residents have relied on it for generations. Mary Swalla Holmes, a board member for the Madrid Historical Museum, said losing the newspaper would mean losing an important record of community life. Holmes believes the loss would also affect future generations who want to understand the town’s past, “I think about 50 years from now when somebody else is trying to look up some event or some history of a person, and there’ll be a big gap,” she said. The nostalgia older generations hold towards a young kid riding their bike and tossing the latest paper on their doorstep slowly begins to fade into the past. Without local outlets, a wide variety of important memories will be forgotten.
The closure of local newspapers such as the Madrid Register paints a picture of the critical role these publications play in preserving community history. Just as Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the way the world’s stories were consumed, newspapers have been a valuable piece in documenting the daily lives and significant events of towns across America. The possible loss of these critical pieces of evidence, due to the immense growth of social media, would not only impact current residents but also build a void in the historical record for future generations. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and beyond grant consumers a quick and easy way to digest information. These factors only highlight the importance of building up local news sources, ultimately not letting them get drowned out by social media.
