My friend and colleague James Reel noted on Facebook that he “sheds
no tears over the demise of the Tucson Citizen. It should’ve
been taken off life support years ago.”
I agree with the second part of that statement. Heck, in our very
first Get Out of Town! issue back in December 2003, I wrote that it was
time for the Citizen to go away due to its freefalling
circulation and ever-diminishing voice. As much as I value editorial
voices, and as much as I adore some of the folks who toiled for the
afternoon daily, I can’t deny the numbers: The circulation of the
Citizen at the end was down around 17,000, which is half of what
it reportedly was (33,000) when I wrote that Get Out of Town! blurb 5
1/2 years ago.
However, I disagree with the first part of James’ statement: While
the market dictated that it was time, the Citizen‘s demise is
still a rather sad event.
Forgive me if I sound kind of new-agey when I say this (and I am not
generally new-agey), but I believe that newspapers carry a sort of
energy, due to all of the hard work and creativity that goes into them.
Think of writers and reporters crafting carefully constructed pieces;
photographers using their skill to get the perfect shots; designers
developing graphics, layouts and advertisements that are works of art
in and of themselves; advertisers crafting creative campaigns to appeal
to readers; and so on. The result of all this effort is something
unique and special with each and every issue—and when this
creativity and its resulting energy is snuffed out and ceases to exist,
well, that’s sad.
Here’s to the Tucson Citizen, and all of the folks who worked
there.
This article appears in May 21-27, 2009.