New research from the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri shows that communities like Blytheville continue to demonstrate heavy reliance on newspapers like the Courier News for news and information.
The study, released last October, is the latest to demonstrate that community newspapers remain a vital part of life in America's smaller cities and towns.
According to the study, 74 percent of people living in small cities and towns in the United States read a local newspaper ranging from one day to seven days a week. And a whopping 81 percent rely on their community newspapers for news and information.
The study also revealed the value that those living in smaller communities place on the information in their local newspaper. According to the study, 54 percent of residents prefer the "newspaper" over other local media outlets, such as television, radio, etc.
Other major findings from the study:
-- Each individual copy of the newspaper is, on average, "passed along" to 2.33 people.
-- 83 percent of readers cited local news and information as the primary draw to the local newspaper.
-- 73 percent read either all or most of the local newspaper.
-- Community newspapers get high marks for accuracy. 71 percent rated the accuracy of their local newspaper as "excellent" or "good."
-- 28 percent of respondents who had access to the Internet said they visited the websites of their local newspapers in the past month. 70 percent of respondents had access to the Internet in their homes.
-- 66 percent of readers said that newspaper advertising helped them make purchasing decisions, and 79 percent said they would rather read ads in the newspaper than watch commercials on television. 80 percent preferred newspaper ads over Internet ads.
2011 was the sixth year the institute has conducted the readership study, and year after year, the results have shown the continuing trend -- that people in areas served by community newspapers continue to prefer the community newspaper as their primary source of news and advertising.
Information like this flies in the face of the popular refrain that print journalism is nearing extinction, or that "newspapers are dying," as one deceitful cable TV campaign claims. The fact is newspapers -- at least community newspapers -- continue to be pillars of their communities.
As I've noted before, there is little doubt that the media landscape is changing. More people are now getting information from the Internet via computers and handheld devices. Large metropolitan areas that once supported several large daily publications may now only be able to support one. With more media options available to businesses, the fight for advertising dollars has gotten more intense.
Indeed, the next several decades will be challenging ones for the newspaper industry. Newspapers will have to change; they will have to evolve. Some of that has already happened. The Courier News, for instance, now offers dynamic website, as well as a Facebook presence.
But changing technology has always brought about new challenges for the newspaper industry, whether it was the advent of radio or the popularization of television.
I would venture a guess that the newspaper industry of 20 years from now will look markedly different than the newspaper industry of 20 years ago. (It already does.)
But I also strongly believe that newspapers, in one form or another, will still be here. The trust and interest readers continue to overwhelmingly place in their local newspapers puts community journalism in a unique and strong position to persevere with time.
In almost every rural community across America, the newspaper is one of the oldest businesses in town. That didn't happen by accident. By providing vital information about the communities they serve, newspapers have survived. And as long as there is a thirst for local information, you can expect community newspapers to endure.
aweld@blythevillecourier.com