Editorial

Trade wars felt in pages of Gazette

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

The Gazette and other newspapers have known for a long time their basic medium — “paper” is in their name, after all — would be costing more because of political action beyond their control.

A temporary delivery problem has forced the Gazette to drastically limit production and delivery until the crisis passes, but long-term prospects are just as troubling.

A single paper mill in Washington State petitioned the federal government to implement a tariff on paper imported from Canada, and Washington D.C. was more than happy to comply.

Unfortunately, some in power are more than happy to use whatever means necessary to silence their critics.

The changes didn’t start with the current situation; the portion of our readers who receive our content online has been growing for years.

But newspapers have long been the base from which all other media, electronic and social media included, take their cue.

Undercutting their basic, traditional means of distributing personal and commercial content undermines the way the communities they support function as a whole.

Without aggressive local reporting traditionally provided by thriving newspapers, we will be forced to accept whatever message we are spoon-fed by those in power.

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