Mike’s Musings: When Michigan’s big newspapers abandon print, local weeklies matter more

Another chapter in Michigan newspaper history is about to close.
MLive Media Group recently announced that it will stop printing and delivering eight newspapers after Dec. 6. The affected publications are The Grand Rapids Press, Kalamazoo Gazette, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Flint Journal, Ann Arbor News, Muskegon Chronicle, Saginaw News and Bay City Times.
The names will continue online, but the printed newspapers that generations of Michigan families held in their hands will disappear.
MLive says more than 99 percent of its readers now access its journalism digitally. Company officials say the change will not reduce the organization’s reporting staff, and its news will remain available through websites, apps, digital editions, social media and email newsletters.
I understand the business reasons behind the decision.
Printing presses are expensive to operate. Newsprint, ink, postage, fuel and labor all cost more than they once did. Finding dependable carriers has become increasingly difficult. Advertising dollars have migrated to Google, Facebook and other technology platforms that produce little or no original local journalism.
The economics of newspaper publishing have never been more challenging.
Still, something important will be lost when these eight newspapers disappear from porches, stores, restaurants and kitchen tables.
A printed newspaper is more than another way of delivering information. It is a physical record of community life.
Websites constantly change. Social media posts appear briefly and then disappear beneath a flood of newer material. Search engines decide what readers see, frequently promoting outrage, celebrity gossip and national controversy over the school-board decision occurring a mile from home.
A community newspaper places local life directly in front of its readers.
You may open the paper to read about a city council meeting and discover a story about a retiring teacher. You might turn to the sports section and see a photograph of your neighbor’s daughter scoring the winning goal. You may notice an advertisement from a family-owned business you had forgotten was there.
That experience cannot be duplicated completely by an algorithm.
Print also reaches people who do not spend their days searching the internet. Many older readers remain more comfortable with a newspaper than an app. Some rural areas still lack reliable high-speed internet. Others simply prefer to sit down with a cup of coffee and read without pop-up advertisements, passwords, notifications and distractions.
Those readers should not be treated as though they no longer matter.
The disappearance of printed metropolitan newspapers also creates a greater responsibility for independently owned weeklies like ours.
Large media companies naturally focus on stories capable of attracting the biggest online audiences. A township meeting involving 30 residents may not generate thousands of clicks, but its decisions can determine how property is zoned, how taxes are spent and whether a major development is allowed next door.
The local school board may not be trending on social media, but it decides how children are educated. A county commission rarely makes national news, yet it controls millions of taxpayer dollars. Local elections may receive little outside attention, but their outcomes often affect our daily lives more directly than decisions made in Washington.
Someone must attend those meetings, ask questions and create a public record.
That is the work community newspapers continue to perform.
We cover high school athletes who will never appear on ESPN. We publish obituaries that preserve the stories of neighbors. We announce festivals, church suppers, benefits and local celebrations. We recognize veterans, honor scholarship winners and tell readers when a road will close.
We also publish the uncomfortable stories—government disputes, criminal cases, spending questions and public controversies—that some people would prefer to keep quiet.
Our newspapers are embracing digital publishing because that is where many readers now expect to find news. We maintain websites, post breaking developments and use social media to reach audiences quickly. Digital and print do not have to be enemies. Each can strengthen the other.
But we are not ready to declare print obsolete.
A printed newspaper arrives without requiring readers to search for it. It sits in a home, office or waiting room where several people may read it. It gives local advertisers a visible and trusted place to tell their stories. It preserves an entire week of community history in one package.
Most importantly, a local newspaper belongs to the community it serves.
Its reporters shop at the same stores, travel the same roads and attend the same events as their readers. When we make a mistake, our readers know where to find us. When a major issue develops, we cannot simply move on to another market. We live with the consequences alongside everyone else.
The end of MLive’s printed editions does not necessarily mean the end of journalism in those cities. Its reporters will continue doing important work online, and we should hope that effort succeeds.
But the announcement is another reminder that locally owned newspapers cannot survive on good intentions alone.
If residents want reporters attending public meetings, they must subscribe. If businesses want strong communities, they must advertise locally. If public officials value informed citizens, they must provide meaningful access to information. If readers appreciate seeing their children, neighbors and organizations in the newspaper, they should support the people producing it.
A newspaper is a business, but it is also a community institution. Once it disappears, recreating it is extraordinarily difficult.
Eight familiar Michigan titles will soon vanish from print. Their departure should remind us that the future of local newspapers is not guaranteed.
You can bet, however, just like Wilcox Newspapers, that printed newspapers will have a long shelf life. We have no plans to abandon print but rather expand our outreach. We think the printed product is what many readers desire and we aim to provide it for many years to come.