Ink Still Matters: Why Community Newspapers Aren’t Dead

“Nobody reads a newspaper anymore.” I hear that statement all the time. But then something interesting happens every year when our community newspapers launch the “Best of the Best” ballot. The only place to get it is inside the printed newspaper. It is not online, cannot be downloaded, and isn’t on social media. Yet every year we receive over 3,000 ballots hand-filled and delivered to our office.

Sure, some ballots come from businesses campaigning to win their categories, but many are from readers flipping through the paper, filling out favorites. If nobody reads newspapers, how are thousands of ballots coming back to us?

I also hear that newspaper readership has plummeted. The truth is more complicated. The business has changed, yes, but local readership hasn’t vanished. I may print fewer copies, but we have more subscribers than 15 years ago. Why? Access. Readers engage with local news in multiple ways.

Younger generations might read on phones or laptops. Older readers might prefer print. This gives the illusion of decline when, in reality, readership spread across platforms. Reading the paper online still counts. Local news didn’t die; it evolved.

In 1998, newspapers were weekly operations. A team worked hard to deliver the best snapshot of the week. But if news broke Thursday, it was a week old by print day. Now, that’s not an issue. Our websites update constantly, social media provides breaking alerts, and daily newsletters arrive every morning. The print edition is still vital, but now it works alongside digital, not against it.

At Phillips Publishing, all our newspapers operate on shared principles. The print edition, newsletter, and website complement one another. We maintain consistency so that our audience experiences a unified vision of community. Whether in print, on social media, or online, we aim to reflect—and reinforce—the local identity we’re proud of.

While new sources may try to make a splash, they quickly find this business isn’t easy. The Silsbee Bee stands as proof—106 years of earned trust. In Robertson County, 136 years. Age doesn’t matter—both share the same DNA of community journalism. For any publisher, the goal is the same: serve the community’s story, no matter the platform.

When it comes down to it, community newspapers remain vital because they reflect the struggles and victories of their people. Platforms change, but telling local stories with integrity doesn’t. We’re not just printing news—we’re preserving the heartbeat of our communities.

On a personal note, thank you to every reader—no matter where you get your news. But when reading other sources or social media, take it with a grain of salt. They haven’t been doing this for 136 years, and trust is earned.