`That Elusive Butterfly We Call The Truth`

In 1976, Richard J. Daley was the long-time Mayor of Chicago. Known locally and nationally, he might as well have been the president to Chicago residents, as his power was unrivaled. He had taken ill, and the city was shaken.

At thirteen years old, I was only moderately interested in this story. Politics meant nothing to me, but the way people were reacting to this situation got my attention. The television news was broadcast at five and ten o’clock, with no 24/7 cable stations to fill the void in between. Social media, then, was talking face to face or on the rotary phone in the kitchen. Hence, the carriers, kids around my age, delivered the news during the day.

It might be hard to believe now, but customers on my route waited at their door for the newspaper. To me, it was mindlessly doing my job. To them, I was bringing crucial information that could dramatically affect their lives immediately. One woman asked, “What are we going to do if he dies?” I had no idea, but her concern made a lasting impression. 

The magnitude of the content in the Daily Calumet bag slung around my shoulder was completely lost on me. It took years to realize the importance of being a paper boy.

That same importance was again realized as an adult when I became a paper man, you could say.

Unfortunately, the newspaper industry faces serious challenges. Declining circulation and advertising revenues top the list, often leading to reduced page counts and publication days. It is an interconnected, downward spiral. Finding a solution, or a combination of them, to reverse this trend has not been easy.

For years, I would not have the “newspapers are dying” argument. That is because I have witnessed what happens when a newspaper was late – a customer was upset. Very upset. Even during inclement weather, when poor driving conditions were evident, the circulation department phones rang constantly.

On the advertising side, I have offered business owners claiming that “no one reads newspapers anymore” a free ad, but with a stipulation. Their offer had to be a crisp, one-hundred-dollar bill to the first one hundred people that walked through the door. Interestingly, no one ever took me up on it. Why? Because no one wanted to give away that much money.

Just look at an edition on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Big companies with sophisticated metrics, relying heavily on holiday sales, putting their circulars in a newspaper, I argued many times.

But statistics are hard to ignore. While they don’t necessarily tell the whole story, they do not lie. For example, per Statista, in 1970, the United States had 1,748 daily newspapers; in 2018 the number had fallen to 1,279, and today even less, especially post-Covid. The loss in circulation is more startling. During the same period, circulation has gone from eighty million to less than half that amount, per an analysis by industry veteran and consultant, Larry Maynard. 

Ad revenue has felt the same sting, experiencing a 60% loss between display and classified ads, inserts, and legal notices, according to Maynard. Digital advertising has seen significant and steady growth since 2011, but not enough to overcome the losses in print. There is no clear-cut solution, though some newspapers have either eliminated or are contemplating the elimination of the printed product, focusing entirely on their digital site. Cutting newsprint and delivery costs would result in massive savings.

Additionally, according to a study from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, the ownership landscape has changed markedly. Today over half of the dailies and about one quarter of the weeklies are now owned by only ten companies. Increases in acquisitions often result in loss of jobs, and ultimately, a lack of diverse opinions. If the acquiring company’s sole goal is to reduce expenses and maximize profits, the product suffers.

That said, it would be unfair to criticize any local owner who decided to sell their company, as they have the right to take their business in whatever direction they want. But a resulting change in editorial focus and amount of local content could prove detrimental. We cannot lose one of the most important services a newspaper provides, which is being the watchdog for their communities to ensure any wrongdoings were fully researched and accurately reported. (think Watergate, and the Pentagon Papers, and their respective coverage by the Washington Post). This coverage, whether on a grand scale or local, keeps politicians, businesses, and other groups in check to ensure the local residents are protected from misconduct.

Conversely, anyone can publish information online, claiming it to be factual. There is no journalistic code of ethics or editing process verifying fact versus fiction, whereas a newspaper website originates from a credible source.

Regardless of print or digital, a newspaper is unique in its inherent connection to the community. Impassioned opinions of readers are given a voice to express their views; myriad photographs tell a story without words; youth and high school sports and activities have been cut out and tacked to walls by proud parents for generations.

Newspapers spotlight local members of the community that richly deserve recognition. Be it humanitarian, education, church, police, fire, health, volunteers, etc., those heroes who have had a positive impact on others and may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

I was privileged to work at two newspapers: The Beacon News in Aurora and The Times in Ottawa/Streator, both in Illinois. Each had wonderful, dedicated staffs and I was proud to be part of their teams. All recognized the symbiotic relationship with the communities we served. Be it a successful Progress edition or charging into a tornado, their efforts were remarkable. I am 100% certain that other papers boast the same.

There are products we can do without, but we desperately need this industry to survive. The look and feel may morph and that’s okay. Things change. Newspapers have weathered the “threat” of radio, television, and cable. The internet has proven to be friend and foe, and the relationship is certain to continue evolving.

Do we need our watchdog to be alive and well? Here is a response from Lonny Cain, a former colleague, managing editor, and current columnist, “I’m part of the Boomer generation that would miss the paper product, but in the end it’s not about ink on pulp. It’s about the stuff we call news and that elusive butterfly we call The Truth.”

Well said. The thought of a day without newspapers is not just depressing, it’s dangerous. 

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