When presses go silent, we all lose

So goes the school, so goes the newspaper, so goes the town.

Such an observation is neither original nor germane to some of America, but in Nebraska it is a fact of life — sometimes a sad fact when a small town loses its newspaper.

For further details on two Nebraska newspapers closing their doors, I recommend Paul Hammel’s excellent piece in the Nebraska Examiner. He puts into perspective what the loss of a newspaper means to communities such as Ainsworth and Valentine, the pair set to cease publishing after Dec. 25 unless new buyers step up. Hammel also provides background on the troubling t...