Opinion

Here when you need us

Friday, October 12, 2001

Can you guess which of the world's nations has the most newspapers?

The answer -- overwhelmingly -- is the United States.

In fact, there are almost as many newspapers in the U.S. as there are in the rest of the world combined.

We bring this to your attention because this week -- Oct. 7-13 -- has been declared National Newspaper Week by President George W. Bush.

In announcing the special week, President Bush declared: "I join all Americans in celebrating the importance of a free press and in recognizing that newspapers throughout the country encourage an honest examination of society and culture. By encouraging public discussion and drawing attention to matters that affect our lives, newspapers help ensure the protection of our rights and freedoms and contribute enormously to our nation's continued advancement and progress."

We are grateful for the President's tribute to newspapers, especially during these troubling times. When the nation's founders included freedom of the press among America's precious freedoms, they paved the way for a nationwide network of newspapers unlike anything the world had ever seen before.

Today, more than 10,000 weekly and 1,500 daily newspapers carry news and advertising messages to every corner of the country. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of adult Americans read newspapers.

In Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, the information appetites of citizens are served by 17 newspapers, including a number which have been in continuous publication for more than 100 years. The McCook Daily Gazette, established in 1911, is proud to serve side-by-side with the area weeklies, which include the Imperial Republican, the Wauneta Breeze, the Benkelman Post & News-Chronicle, the Hitchcock County News of Trenton, the Hayes Center Times-Republican, the Hi-Line Enterprise of Curtis, the Elwood Bulletin, the Arapahoe Public Mirror, the Cambridge Clarion, the Oxford Standard, the Beaver City Times-Tribune, the Indianola News, the Oberlin Herald, the Rawlins County Square Deal of Atwood and the St. Francis Herald, as well as the daily newspaper 60 miles southeast: the Norton Telegram.

Not only do newspapers report on the daily and weekly happenings in our communities, but they serve as a permanent history as well.

The slogan for National Newspaper Week in 2001 is, "Newspapers: Here When You Need Us, Here When You Read Us."

The words are rhythmical ... but they are more. The words declare a statement of principle as newspapers strive to fulfill their ongoing and unending responsibility of providing information, entertainment and inspiration to our readers.

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