Newspapers remain leading source of local news

A Utah newspaper, the Milford News, was once published with the motto, "The only newspaper in the world that gives a damn about Milford, Utah."

We don't know if the paper is still in operation, but the 1,400 residents of Milford probably have a wide variety of news available in electronic form via the Internet, satellite, radio or television.

We doubt any of them care the way the News did, however.

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism confirmed that opinion after looking at one week's worth of local news in 53 media outlets in Baltimore last July.

The study found that on six major stories, 61 percent of the original reporting or new information came from newspapers and their Web sites.

And, although local television produced slightly more content than newspapers, less of it was original reporting and the content was often recycled from other media, usually newspapers.

Only 28 percent of the original reporting came from local televition stations and their Web sites, 7 percent from radio stations and 4 percent from online-only publications.

While big, general-interest newspapers have been struggling, some ceasing publication entirely, the study points out the importance of local, more focused newspapers.

In no instance is local reporting more important than coverage of local schools and government, where decisions affect day-to-day life and family checkbooks.

Like most newspapers, the Gazette is no longer confined to ink on paper, delivering news and advertising via the Internet as well as via news stands and paper carriers.

But local news remains our bread and butter, and no service is more important. No matter how it is delivered, it's a job that's vital to keeping our community running.