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Boucher

Rosemary Boucher

Journalism 210: History of American Journalism

Professor Meagher

May 4th, 2017

Newspaper Ownership

Newspaper ownership can be blamed for a lot of things. Journalist’s first job is the

accountability of civil servants, which is an almost impossible job if the paper they work for is

owned by those groups, or people. There are many controversial aspects to ownership. Some

believe that it is a paper owned by a single person, or group of people, it will maintain

partisanship towards that person’s, or persons’ views. Others believe that if a paper is owned by a

company, the paper will work as a tool in that companies favor. Each have their warranted

worries, but which are better? Are family-owned papers doing better than corporate owned ones?

Lukas Alpert reported recently about Art Cullen, of the Storm Lake (Iowa) Times, who

won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. The Storm Lake Times brought Alpert to the

shocking realization that family owned newspapers are a rare breed. Alpert reported that

newspaper merger-and-acquisition adviser Dirks, Van Essen & Murray recored a trend of

consolidation reviling that only 15% of papers in the United States are independently owned.

Just 42 years ago in 1975, that percentage was at 59%. They also reported that in the 20’s there

were 500 cities with independent newspapers. There are currently only 10 cities with

independent papers. This means that every other city has given in to corporate news.

There are just 10 instances of independent news verses corporate news. It would seem

that corporate news is the way to go, winning out over hundreds of private papers. However, the
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article Alpert was writing wasn’t about statistics. It was about the one in a hundred. Cullen, of an

independent paper, won the Pulitzer Prize. None of the other 85% did what Cullen did. With the

rapid loss of independent papers, we have 15% left, but a 15% that earned where it is.

Organizations that have worked hard for where they are and believe in journalistic power.

Another article from Poynter, describes the achievements that have been the result of an

independent paper thriving. The Post and Courier of South Carolina is an independent paper that

has had many break stories including police brutality and domestic abuse. This paper is one of

the 15% that is really pulling through by diversifying. Although this paper is run independently,

its success is attributed to their embracing of corporate tactics. Executives, John Barnwell and

P.J. Browning, of the Post and Courier said there were six tactics they've implemented over the

years to keep them afloat. They’ve had professional managers brought in, they’ve diversified

their outlets, have been consolidating land and assets, have been able to accurately predict

financial losses, have assorted investments, and have taken financial risks, but been able to cut

their loses before they’re too great. All these things are often found in cooperate businesses.

Many times the papers are bought as part of the types of investments this paper makes as well.

In the long run, the numbers indicate that corporate owned papers are thriving the most.

They have their hands in many different pots so they have the money to keep the papers afloat if

they’re able to. If the paper is going to die, it was going to die regardless of who owned it. The

family own papers today operate almost identical to the corporate owned ones. There are a few

who try to maintain themselves by other means, but they are not thriving. They’re barely staying

afloat, and will most likely be bought out soon. The corporate businesses don’t like to be

challenged. The most important thing though is that the journalism is not affected by this matter.
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As Cullen said after winning his Pulitzer Prize: “Journalism really matters, and good journalism

is being done all across the country.”