As many of you know, the CNB received several awards at the Illinois Press Association last Thursday. It's always a great feeling to be recognized by your peers—a proud moment for our team. But it's more than that.
I've been going to the IPA awards for over 30 years, and it's been sad to watch the numbers dwindle. The robust three-day convention is now a one-day event.
What used to fill the largest ballroom at the Crown Plaza in Springfield—barely room for another table—has shrunk to a quarter of that size, with empty tables scattered about.
Newspapers were still represented, from the largest; Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times to the smallest weeklies. But where did the rest go? And what does it mean for local news and how we get it?
Speakers Senator Dick Durbin, Governor JB Pritzker and Senator David Koehler said the same thing: local newspapers and local journalism are the backbone of democracy. The work we do—being engaged in our community's government— keeps transparency alive.
Our relationships with local business leaders and, most importantly, our neighbors build the connections that hold a community together.
Without trusted local news sources like the CNB and Tri States Public Radio, how would our community know what's happening at WIU, given all its changes, told from every angle and not just the institution's perspective? How would we track the school boards, the CTE center, the proposed Sports Complex, the Lifeguard ambulance situation and changes at our county's hospital, local taxes, and city council and county board decisions that affect every single person living here?
But it's more than that....
Local newspapers hold public entities and boards accountable. We ensure they follow the Open Meetings Act and FOIA rules—the laws that guarantee transparency and public access to government records.
Without that watchdog function, these entities operate without scrutiny.
When boards and officials know a local newsroom is paying attention, they think twice before cutting corners or making decisions behind closed doors.
But it's more than that.
Local news covers local businesses—from the largest companies to the farmers market vendors. It tells stories about the people who've accomplished great things or faced personal challenges. It covers school events and programs. And sports— there's no sports writer better than Shelby Burget in this area. Period. During high school sports season, Shelby writes 10 to 15 stories per edition. His knowledge of local high school sports, the players, the coaches over 40 years—he never ceases to amaze me. Local news covers educators finding ways to inspire our younger generation, and the community entertainment and attractions that make this place home.
I also found it interesting that the Illinois Press Foundation has begun working with high schools and colleges to promote journalism in communities considered 'news deserts.'
What struck me was many members who sit on the Illinois Press board --several from large media companies, were among those companies that created those news deserts in the first place, all just to please their own boards and secure handsome bonuses.
These companies abandoned local reporting and shifted to online content, E-editions, and social media. E-editions have their place, they help with postage costs, but social media is something else entirely. Used wisely by credible news outlets, it's an asset. But when it's open to the masses, it can quickly become a dangerous tool for misinformation.
People use it to spread conspiracy theories and what we should all recognize as real 'fake news.' By now, we should understand how unreliable social media is.
It feeds on algorithms: the more you search a topic, the more it feeds you the same thing until it's nearly impossible to tell what's true and what isn't.
Perhaps these companies have found the error of their ways. We can only hope.
Because it's more than that.
And because it is more than that, it takes a team—a family—to make it happen.
I'm thrilled and fortunate to have this dream team, which has become an extension of my family. We started with a couple of Mac computers, a printer, my husband, and my daughter. Now we've grown to include over 200 years of newspaper experience: our veterans, including myself - Lynne Campbell (45 years), Patrick Stout (45 years), Shelby Burget (40 years), Darcie Shinberger (40 years), Tabitha Palm (28 years), and Lisa Miller (20 years); and our newer family members—Morgan Payne, Cheryl Douglas, Craig Rigg, Arlen Britton, AJ Rocca, and Gina Anderson. And none of this happens without Jerry Peters and Tony Campbell picking up the paper at KK Stevens in Astoria— another locally owned and operated business—and delivering it to the local post offices every Monday and Thursday (and all the running around on Wednesdays for The MIDWEEK!).
So it’s more than that; a newspaper is about bringing the community together.
And that would never be possible without the support of local businesses that choose to advertise with us. Their support allows us to hire writers to share the local stories readers enjoy— the stories that matter to this community.
