Power of the Press: Why Newspapers Matter

The chosen theme for this year's National Newspaper Week, Oct 2-8, is "Power of the Press." That power, it seems to me, is a very relative thing.

Everybody understands the power of, say, The New York Times or The Washington Post, but probably less recognized and appreciated is the power of the Deer Creek Pilot and the thousands of other small, community newspapers just like it all across the land.

In survey after survey, it is these little community-minded newspapers that are continuing to thrive. And there are some very tangible, observable reasons for that, not the least of which might be th...