Newspaper News

The other day, I received an email solicitation from a local philanthropist who was seeking donations to keep the East Hampton Star, our hometown paper, on life support. Ad sales and subscriptions have been steadily declining for years, and the only answer may be for it to become a non-profit entity, with all the attendant benefits that would entail, such as tax breaks. Coincidentally, there was news in the New York Times about the passing of the investor Arthur Carter of Wall Street and publishing fame, who, among other businesses he either bought or started, founded The Litchfield County Times and the New York Observer newspapers. Not mentioned in the obituary was that Carter, for a brief period, had invested in our own East Hampton Star. The investment failed, and subsequently, he sold back his interest to the Rattray family, who have published the Star for several generations. But none of Carter’s newspaper investments were moneymakers, though profit was never his primary motive. According to the Times, “He was willing to lose millions because he loved journalism and couldn’t think of a better way to spend his money.” Accused of being a vanity publisher, his response was, “Everything is a vanity press until it makes money.”

The Mountain Messenger has faced similar kinds of economic headwinds that many local papers have, though it is self-sustaining and therefore far from being a vanity project. It has a small but hardworking staff that puts together a strong, observant weekly that readers enjoy for what it professes to be: local news and views with some nice photography. The publisher, Carl Butz, has instilled his team with his own values of good writing, good local coverage, and a variety of voices to keep things interesting. I am proud to be a part of the Messenger team and look forward to its continued success. That said, the paper depends on its readership for subscriptions and newsstand sales to maintain the advertising that is its lifeblood. This holiday season, support independent, local journalism with a gift subscription to the Messenger and, depending on where you live, to your favorite local paper.