An old habit with meaning

By Vivian J. Paige

I was raised to read the newspaper every day. It was simply a part of the way things were done back then.

My godmother would quiz me on its contents. My teachers would have current events - taken directly from the newspaper - as a part of the curriculum. As a result, my day nearly always starts with reading the newspaper. With what has been happening at The Virginian-Pilot and papers around the country, I recognize I am a part of a dying breed.

A study released Monday by the Knight Foundation and the Pew Research Center about the sources of local news confirms what we have long suspected: Those under 40 tend to get their information from the Internet, while those over 40 tend to rely on newspapers.

One of the most sobering statistics in the report was that 69 percent of those surveyed believed the elimination of the local newspaper would have little or no impact on their ability to get local information. The good news is that the study shows a disconnect between that statistic and the true reliance of individuals on the newspaper as a source of local news: In 11 of 16 topics, newspapers either ranked first or tied for first as the choice.

For information about crime, taxes, local government activities, schools, local politics, local jobs, community/neighborhood events, arts events, zoning information, local social services and real estate/housing, newspapers topped the list.

If the newspaper no longer existed, where would you go to get this local information? Would it simply disappear?

I think that's entirely possible.

Don't expect local bloggers to pick up the slack. Much of our content relies on the newspaper as the primary source. Besides, unpaid bloggers writing on the side have neither the time nor the resources to invest in original reporting.

Don't expect local TV to pick up the slack. While they occasionally do in-depth reporting, a two-minute-or-less segment on a topic is more the norm.

Don't expect the national newspapers to pick up the slack. Only if it is a major sensational story will something having local impact end up on its pages and websites.

Perhaps the most disturbing trend to me in the report is that fewer and fewer people even care about local news. "The problem for newspapers is that many of these topics are followed by a relatively small percentage of the public," the report says.

I don't know what we can do to make people care more about local issues. I do know that not caring plays right into the hands of those few who make the decisions about the things that affect our lives every day, such as the taxes we pay on real estate, water and cable and localities' redistricting plans, to name a few.

As for reading the newspaper, I'd love to see more parents quizzing their kids - or grandparents quizzing their grandchildren - on its contents, as I was. I'd love to see more teachers using it in the classroom, as they did in mine.

We all have a role to play in making Hampton Roads a strong community. And the newspaper is a valuable part of our shared community experiences.

Vivian J. Paige writes about local politics and other topics at blog.vivianpaige.com. Email: blog@vivianpaige.com.