I visited my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio this weekend. On Sunday, The Plain Dealer printed artist and critic Karen Sandstrom’s creative work ethic, “I Must Remember This.”
Enchanted, I happily discovered Karen and her blog, Pen in Hand, as well.
Even better, Karen succinctly and eloquently sang the praises of The Plain Dealer, daily newspapers, and printed newspapers.
I’m all for electronic media and the creative flourishing and publishing opportunities now open to more people.
But Karen reminds us not to forget our daily newspapers and their talented, hardworking staffs. They are doing important work.
Some daily newspapers have disappeared, with more to go, I’m sure.
Journalism is changing like everything else, but we still need unbiased investigative reporting, long-form news and analysis, depth and breadth of content, and media everyone is comfortable with. (I believe a significant number of readers still prefer their news in print, and have not found or would not know how to go about finding comparable news online).
Most important, we need engaged readers and citizens who care and understand what vibrant journalism means to a healthy democracy.
If we let our daily newspapers go, we damn well better make sure we know what we are doing.
(Full disclosure: a member of my family works for The Plain Dealer.)
What do you think? Please comment!
Books Can Save A Life 
Thanks for the shout-out, Valorie! (And being related to a Plain Dealer employee does not discredit your point about the importance of newspapers.)
Karen, I’m looking forward to reading your book review/essays, and I’ve hung up your illustration in my creative space. I really like it!