By VERNA BROCK
Last week, this newspaper celebrated another year of providing local, original news to our community. Kudos to editor Bill Snowden for persevering and surviving in a very difficult newspaper environment. I had to drop by a little early to congratulate him on his success (and stubbornness!), as I had another stop later that afternoon. I am pleased to report Wakulla County turned out, in force, to help him toast another year of accomplishments.
I strongly believe in public education, public libraries and freedom of the press. They are essential building blocks for a healthy democracy. I have watched with a large measure of sadness as the great tradition of print publications has gradually succumbed to the pressures of digital media, rising costs, and loss of interest. Our old standby, The Wakulla News, became a victim of these forces, its bones picked bare by an out-of-town conglomerate.
Thank goodness for Bill Snowden, a true journalist with smudgey ink in his veins. Unwilling to abandon his calling when his offers to purchase the News were rebuffed, he tackled what might have seemed like a Sisyphean task. He stepped out in faith, against all odds, to begin a brand new venture, the spunky “Wakulla Sun”!
In doing so, he joined a steadily shrinking number of local news outlets still doggedly clinging to life. Instead of giving up, our intrepid newspaperman filled the void. HUZZAH! However daunting it may have seemed at the time, even as local news outlets closed or were destroyed, the tradition of serving up “what’s happening now” continued.
Consider that print circulation has dropped 70% over the past 20 years. The vast majority are weeklies, just like the Sun. There are fewer than 1,000 dailies produced nationwide; 213 U.S. counties have NO local news outlets, while 1,500 have access to only one. In practical terms, that means 1 in 4 households has little or no access to local news. As neighbors to Florida’s capital city, we in Wakulla County have a few more, albeit limited, options. But let’s face it. The Sun stands head and shoulders above the much diminished Tallahassee Democrat when it comes to covering OUR local news!
I may be a little biased, but I am very proud of our local paper. It repeatedly wins awards, and out-performs much larger publications. We are so fortunate to have this little gem of a newspaper right here in Wakulla County, maintaining a long tradition of excellence in journalism.
Be sure to let Bill and his staff know how much you appreciate everything they do for our community the next time you see them at a function, event, or meeting.