This past week I had the opportunity to hang out with an old friend and colleague from my days in Seattle who now works for The Seattle Times after a long tenure with the Associated Press. I loved catching up with her on her family life, but work was part of the talk too. I was overjoyed when she told me that subscriptions are increasing at an unusual rate.
The last few times I’ve been on a local radio show, I’ve been asked how I deal with Trump’s subterfuge. I usually answer with the same message, particularly calling out the importance of community organizing and staying focused. And when it comes to the press, how do you deal with the way Trump is trampling the press?
Obviously, Trump’s attacks of the press need to be fought all the way, but ever since the country’s economic recession, newspapers and other media outlets, have had a hard time. Much of it related to the economy, as well as finally getting this new digital age we call home. However, it’s meant some changes and those changes haven’t always been supported by readers and thus advertisers. I know we’ve felt it at the Tucson Weekly, and I know our local daily has felt it too. If the advertiser dollars (and subscribers) remained, I’d like to think our area media would be stronger.
Before Trump, news folks have been at the bottom for years. When something fails, it’s the first blamed, and this comes from the right and the left. During the election, coverage from the Washington Post was brilliant, but even lefty family complained, as if vogue.
A friend of mine at the Arizona Daily Star remarked over drinks recently that maybe a media literacy campaign is in order. Maybe she’s right. An attorney, who helps reporters all over the state, reminded us on his Facebook that it’s a good time to remind people that the press is the only profession mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Essentially governing requires a free press, and that free press needs public support. For some outlets, like us, it’s advertising. For the Star, it’s also subscriptions. For the Tucson Sentinel, donations.
I get paid this week. Part of my check is going to go to subscriptions at the Post and the Star. And a bit will go to the Sentinel and my co-worker Jim Nintzel’s show that airs on KXCI, Zona Politics. Starting next month, the Weekly and our sister papers are going to start a campaign to thank our advertisers and readers.
Subscribe to your local paper. Support advertisers. In this age, it’s one way to say you believe in a free press.
— Mari Herreras
This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2017.
Are you talking about the same Trump who you said was a racist but couldn’t back with any facts?
Yes that same racist asshole Donald Trump. What more facts do you need than everything he has ever said about “the blacks” or “the Mexicans”? Oh that’s right, this is not a serious objection. Just comment trolling! D’oh! I fell into your trap yet again!
Ms. Anonymous strikes again. Notice she has not one instance or fact to back her claim. She’s really great at name calling though.
We have hard-copy subscriptions to 2 newspapers, digital subscriptions to another 3 and donate to the aforementioned independent local news outlet. And we patronize many of the Weekly’s subscribers. And thank them for doing so.
It’s the patriotic thing to do. And an homage to my old man who owned an 8-page weekly in my rural rustbelt red-state hometown.
You accuse people of being Ms. Anonymous?
So, that would make you a hypocritical jackass, unless the name on your birth certificate reads “CW13”.
OR if you legally changed your name to CW13.
I’d bet all the tax money that Trump has paid beyond 2005 that neither of the above sentences are true.
So, if you’re willing to lose about $3, bet me on that challenge.
No,but I stick with the same name. Have for years. Like I said over in Danehy land, I’m done with you. I love how you know all about President Trump’s taxes. The Weekly’s answer to Rachel Maddow. Another loser. Bye.
You didn’t say anything about using the same name. You accused someone of being anonymous, which makes you a hypocrite.
Also, you’re not messaging back and forth with me in Danehy land. I’ve only posted here under the username you’ll see below. I didn’t post under the name “C orn W hole 13” here or anywhere else.
It’s not just one person who keeps changing their username to respond to your trolling. You need to realize that you actually have a fan club full of people out there who are willing to challenge you in the arena of ideas.
I could stop responding to you for good and you’re still going to get responses from the others. You should be proud that you’ve attracted an audience.
A free press needs to do its job. The problem is very few media outlets have the capability to do the reporting that is necessary to keep clowns honest. There are ten million stories a day and almost no one doing them, especially positive stories. There are hundreds of successes, and teachers busting their butts everyday in TUSD and all you hear is TUSD has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. There are hundreds of truly monstrous bills in the cesspool called the Arizona legislature, and you hear about almost none of them. We need a strong free press, that is what I heard constantly at the book festival and it’s true.