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If You Loved ‘Spotlight’ (Editorial)

2 min read

On Monday, newshounds were flying high. A time capsule celebrating the work of a newspaper that was so well staffed that a team of reporters could spend months at a time on a single project had been named the Best Picture of 2015 the night before.

A column in The Guardian explained “Why Spotlight’s Oscar win is a great thing for journalism.” An award-winning journalist took to Facebook: “It’s cool to be a journalist again.”

On Tuesday, the euphoria crashed and burned.

“No longer will a daily newspaper bear the name of Oakland or San Jose due to a mass consolidation by Bay Area News Group, which on Tuesday also announced plans to cut roughly 20 percent of the company’s newsroom staff,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“Half a dozen Bay Area newspapers will be folded into two daily publications meant to serve the East Bay and South Bay. The last daily edition of the 150-year-old Oakland Tribune will be published April 4.”

It is cool to be a journalist, especially if you have a job. Another 10 percent of newsroom employees lost their jobs in 2014 alone, according to the American Society of News Editors.

Arkansas Business remains healthy, thanks to a loyal subscriber base that’s about the same as it was 10 years ago. Our staff has never been more experienced, and we like to think that shows in the product you’re holding. If you like what you see here, we hope you will support our efforts by paying for a print subscription.

Just as vital — maybe more so — is your support of your local general audience newspaper. The one that does the heavy lifting of covering school board meetings and police reports and high school football. The Internet has decimated the traditional newspaper business plan, and readers who still value local news need to step up and pay for it.

If you loved “Spotlight,” you might also love reading a newspaper.

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